Reproductive Health & Life Skills
Background
Wise Choices for Life (WCFL) is a Faith-based training NGO founded in 2009 as a health training initiative in a vocational training institute near Jinja in Uganda. Wise Choices for Life was founded in response to one of the root causes of poverty in developing countries: excessively high fertility rates, which result in extremely high maternal mortality rates
Communities remain trapped in the intergenerational poverty cycle because there are too many children for parents or guardians to provide for and care for, as well as an infrastructure that cannot keep up with population growth. It was based on recognition of the intricate linkage between multiple family and reproductive health problems and deep poverty, as evident in the lives of students and staff at the institute, and in the surrounding communities.
Since inception, WCFL has empowered over 57,094 people (42,832 Male and 14,262) with reproductive health and life skills information. Among these were 1,545 prison inmates, 179 remand homes, 28,576 community members, 25,259 School students and 104 street children
WCFL-UG Vision is “To see thriving communities where every child is born into a caring, healthy and loving family”. WCFL Mission “We provide professional reproductive health and life skill training and resources to key community leaders, who share the knowledge with their communities”. We partner with and mobilize those who implement WCFL philosophy and curriculum. The goal is “To contribute to national efforts that improves access to sexual reproductive health and life skills among children, adolescents, and adults”. Hearthstone Unity and its partners are now supporting WCFL-UG to continue this work through a programmed funding and delivery plan over the next 3 years as well as explore expansion opportunities focussing on sustainable livelihoods.
How are we supporting this work
Sharing the knowledge more broadly
In order to broaden the geographic scope of where WCFL trainings are conducted, several Radio talk shows are hosted on two regional radio stations.
Group members from community groups who have benefited from the organisations training are invited to speak, and they were able to inspire listeners to put all the information they had learned from the radio program to good use.
The participants discuss how the life skills trainings had aided them in making wise decisions for their lives as well as the beneficial effects the training had on their families and relationships
Members of a deaf community receiving training (right)
Impact Testimonies
John, a 67-year-old member of the Basani Iyeta Group, expressed his gratitude to the WCFL organization for the reproductive health trainings that they received. He was having trouble communicating with his neighbor due to misunderstandings, but the topic on communication skills has helped him overcome this obstacle. The two have tried to make reconciliation after discovering their various communication styles.
Another member from the Basani Iyeta Group attests that he would have been a victim of family abuse and would have already divorced his wife if it weren't for the knowledge he gained from life skills trainings. But having the knowledge constantly enables him to think critically and to consider the implications of every choice before making one
One Apolo Nepepe member used the wisdom she had learned in this lesson to decide correctly to reclaim her father's land, which had been taken from her following her father's passing on. She initially pursued legal action to reclaim it, but after giving it some serious thought, she realized that while these actions would help her, she would also damage her relationships with the victims who had stolen the land and her neighbors. She made the decision to settle the issue amicably and now she interacts peacefully with the people who had gotten involved in the issue.