Advocacy Training for Rural Sex worker leaders

Among UNESO Thematic Areas is,  “To develop a broad base of Sex Worker leaders who will lead Advocacy efforts with in Uganda.”

And It’s under this Thematic Area that UNESO convened  a 3 days residential Advocacy training for Sex Worker Leaders from the newly mapped rural districts  to equip them with knowledge and skills on how to better advocate and demand for sex workers rights and access to friendly health services.

In her opening remarks Ms Stellah Nassuna welcomed participants to Kampala for  this particular training. She mentioned that leaders attending the training are from the rural setting or organizing that needed such knowledge in their day to day work for positive change in the realization of sex workers rights. She urged participants to give attention to the three days of this advocacy training as they will be required to have plans after and also share the acquired knowledge with other leaders in the communities back home.

The objectives of Training  were highlighted, including; 1.     To equip the SW leaders in their diversity with the skills of doing advocacy. 2.    Empower participants in identifying health-related problems to address through advocacy for improved health services. 3.    Facilitate participants to develop an advocacy action plan to address health-related problems in their community.

During the training, participants were taken through different kinds of session like ;

1. Activity reflection session about successful advocacy where  each participant shared about a time when they believed they advocated for change either in line with their work and also community experiences. The basis of this session was to gauge participants’ knowledge on advocacy and also learn from the experiences shared to guide the rest of the session.
2. 

   Leaders during a group work session

   The concept of Advocacy in this session the facilitators took participants through a theory part for a deeper understanding what advocacy means and the different types or forms of advocacy. the facilitators took participants through the advantages and disadvantages of each type of advocacy, Why do sex workers need to do advocacy and the things to keep in mind to have a successful  advocacy plan.

3. Group worker to Mapping out of stakeholders. During session, participants where take through a group session of mapping out stakeholders and discussed on how best they can work with them for a change.

On the last day, leaders where tasked to come up with advocacy plans for the upcoming year 2022 which they presented to there fellow participants.