TEGEM has emerged as a formidable force in engaging cultural institutions in the promotion of self-care, recognizing their critical role in influencing community behavior and attitudes. Through years of dedicated work, TEGEM has established itself as a trusted partner of traditional leaders, creating a strong network that facilitates meaningful dialogue on reproductive health, gender equality, and self-care. This strategic positioning enables TEGEM to effectively bridge the gap between modern healthcare initiatives and cultural norms, ensuring that self-care practices gain acceptance and integration within communities.
The orientation brought together 11 Kings from various cultural institutions across Uganda, along with 66 cultural ministers representing different kingdoms. This unprecedented level of participation highlights the commitment of cultural institutions to driving positive health outcomes in their communities. By leveraging this influence, TEGEM is uniquely positioned to transform self-care into a nationwide movement, ensuring sustainable health improvements through culturally appropriate approaches.
Cultural Leaders under the COTLA initiative pledged to; eliminate teenage pregnancies by advocating for keeping girls in school and engaging parents in open discussions about sexuality. Promote antenatal care (ANC) and skilled delivery by denouncing traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and mobilizing community awareness. Address harmful cultural practices that endanger newborns, such as the extraction of false teeth and the use of cow dung on umbilical cords. Foster gender equality through community dialogues on gender-based violence (GBV) and financial empowerment of women.
Funder: CIFF Through MakSPH Period: 2024 Focus Areas; Self-Care
From January 2024, TEGEM, together with the consortium of TheEastern Vijana Camp Association (TEVICA) hosted the transformative Vijana Camp at Tororo Girls School. The camp aimed to equip 200 youth (ages 10–24) from Tororo, Busia, and Butaleja with essential life skills, reproductive health education, and leadership training.
Through workshops, talent shows, team-building exercises, and community engagement sessions, participants gained practical skills in menstrual hygiene (including pad-making), financial literacy, reading and cultural heritage. Evening campfires and mentorships created a safe, inclusive space for reflection and expression.
The program reached over 2,000 community members through radio shows, sensitization drives, and youth-led advocacy campaigns. Notably, 85% of the participants reported improved skills and personal growth.
Funder: Planned Parenthood Global (PPG), Period: 2024 Focus Areas; SRH, Self-Care, Econ Empowerment & Education excellence
From January 2024, TEGEM, together with the consortium of TheEastern Vijana Camp Association (TEVICA) hosted the transformative Vijana Camp at Tororo Girls School. The camp aimed to equip 200 youth (ages 10–24) from Tororo, Busia, and Butaleja with essential life skills, reproductive health education, and leadership training.
Through workshops, talent shows, team-building exercises, and community engagement sessions, participants gained practical skills in menstrual hygiene (including pad-making), financial literacy, reading and cultural heritage. Evening campfires and mentorships created a safe, inclusive space for reflection and expression.
The program reached over 2,000 community members through radio shows, sensitization drives, and youth-led advocacy campaigns. Notably, 85% of the participants reported improved skills and personal growth.
Funder: Planned Parenthood Global (PPG), Period: 2024 Focus Areas; SRH, Self-Care, Econ Empowerment & Education excellence
In 2023, TEGEM continued to lead transformative health education and empowerment programs targeting girls, women, and elderly women in Uganda. Through monthly sessions and strategic partnerships including Omuntu Wa Wansi Initiative and Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution, the organization reached over 1,200 participants with vital training in self-care, nutrition, mental health, and SRHR.
The Self-Care Program emphasized behaviour change, providing hands-on workshops, personalized mentorship, and self-care kits to support home-based wellness. As a result, 85% of participants reported improved health, and over 75% adopted new self-care routines. Elderly women, in particular, gained confidence in managing their well-being.
Programs were extended to vulnerable groups in Busia District, including young mothers, market vendors, and fishing communities, with a focus on HIV prevention and reproductive health.
This initiative demonstrates TEGEM’s continued commitment to empowering communities especially girls and women to take charge of their health and build a future grounded in dignity, resilience, and informed decision-making.
Funder: TEGEM Period: 2023 Focus Areas; SRH, Self-Care
In 2022, TEGEM expanded its school-based mentorship and health education outreach, impacting over 900 students across six schools in Tororo District. With a focus on girls aged 13 and above, the program promoted academic excellence, life skills, and self-care education—including menstrual hygiene and SRHR.
The initiative included Academic Excellence Workshops and biannual school visits in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Omuntu Wa Wansi Initiative, and Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution. Activities blended mentorship, quizzes, physical fitness, and student-led discussions to build confidence, boost school performance, and address barriers like stigma, abuse, and gender-based violence.
The climax event at Rubongi Sub County, graced by the King and district leaders, honored outstanding students with scholastic materials and gave students a platform to voice their insights.
By integrating cultural, educational, and health partners—including male engagement—we fostered a community-wide effort to support adolescent health, education, and gender equity.
Funder: TEGEM Period: 2022 Focus Areas; SRH, Education excellence, Econ Empowerment
Saga Pa Nyarwoth is an annual mentorship camp organized and funded by TEGEM to empower adolescent girls aged 12–19 through cultural restoration, life skills, and education. The 2019 edition, held at St. James Progressive Secondary School–Achilet, was launched in partnership with the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI) and brought together 300 girls and 120 boys from six sub-counties in Tororo District and surrounding districts. The camp’s impact is widely praised by parents, local leaders, and His Royal Highness the Kwara Adhola, who continues to support this initiative. The success of the program established it as a model for adolescent empowerment in the region and led to calls for it to become a regular event.
At TEGEM, our objective is to nurture responsible, confident girls by grounding them in their cultural values, equipping them with comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and practical life skills, and supporting their journey of self-discovery. We aim to ignite their academic focus and empower each young woman to realize her full potential—becoming agents of change in her community and beyond.
The 5-day camp includes physical fitness, traditional cooking, cultural storytelling, hygiene training, and SRH sessions combined with economic empowerment talks and skills. Girls developed leadership skills, self-confidence, and pride in their heritage. Community support is always strong, with parents and cultural leaders participating through sending their children for the camp and also choosing prominent figures to talk to the teens and inspire them. By the end of the camp, we usually have representatives who become ambassadors of the cohort and amplify change amongst their peers and garner change in the communities they serve while coordinating their fellow girls and boys. By the end of the camp, all participants receive certificates as ambassadors of change.
Saga Pa Nyarwoth has grown into an annual flagship initiative, empowering girls to become informed, value-driven leaders who are deeply rooted in their identity and purpose. Through a blend of mentorship, cultural immersion, and practical skills training, each year’s cohort emerges with the confidence and conviction to champion positive change in their communities.
Funder: TEGEM Period: Annually Focus Areas; SRH, SC, Nutrition, Econ Empowerment
Through social support, TEGEM worked with community leaders to distribute items e.g. food, clothing and scholastic materials, older and persons with disability. Reached 34 families in each district totaling to 170 families.
Funder: Italian Cooperation and development Period: 2010 Focus Areas; Nutrition, Education excellence
Between 2004 and 2006, TEGEM implemented a two-year community empowerment and sensitization project targeting tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Building on its strong presence in rural and refugee-hosting districts, TEGEM mobilized local structures to strengthen case identification, referral, and health‐seeking behaviors. By aligning with national disease control priorities and leveraging its experience in community dialogues and mass communication, we aimed to bridge gaps in awareness and service uptake among underserved populations.
The project sought to enhance the capacity of Village Health Teams (VHTs), health workers, and teachers to identify, sensitize, and refer suspected TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria cases; increase community awareness and reduce stigma through targeted dialogues and radio outreach; and strengthen linkages between communities and health facilities to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment initiation.
Over two years, we trained 300 VHTs, 120 health workers, and 400 teachers in case mobilization, symptom recognition, and referral pathways, equipping them with job aids and standardized referral forms. Community dialogues involving influential community memebrs, religious and cultural leaders, community persons and leaders reached 14,200 participants, fostering open discussion about prevention, testing, and treatment adherence. Complementing these in-person engagements, TEGEM produced and broadcasted monthly radio talk shows across regional stations, engaging local health experts and community champions to reach over one million listeners with key messages on TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria control.
This comprehensive approach that was combining capacity building, community engagement, and mass media, successfully amplified awareness, strengthened referral networks, and reduced barriers to care for TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. The project not only empowered frontline actors but also catalyzed sustained community ownership of disease prevention and control, laying the groundwork for future health‐system resilience.
Funder: Uganda Global Fund Period: 2004 – 2006 Focus Areas; SRH
Conducted a five-year project to deliver community-led HIV prevention and PMTCT services in four districts, enrolling 12,122 pregnant women, 727 of whom tested HIV-positive and achieving a 99% HIV-free newborn rate.
TEGEM trained 600 TBAs on HIV screening referrals, 300 health workers on Option B+ protocols, and 80 community leaders as HIV-prevention advocates; conducted monthly community dialogues reaching all pregnant women in the catchment areas; and coordinated with health facilities to ensure seamless linkage to ANC and delivery services.
Through focused capacity building and participatory outreach, the project nearly eliminated vertical HIV transmission and instilled lasting improvements in male engagement, institutional delivery rates, and community ownership of maternal–newborn health.
Funder: CDC, through the THETA consortium Period: 5 years Focus Areas; SRH
To strengthen Uganda’s community health systems, TEGEM is working closely with MoH existing structures to launched a targeted initiative to support Village Health Teams (VHTs) in the door-to-door delivery of family planning (FP) commodities in Iganga, Kamuli, and Bugiri districts. The project focuses on expanding access to the self-injectable DMPA-SC while aligning with the national self-care scale-up plan in the country.
In addition to direct service delivery, the project incorporates structured community dialogues to surface local challenges, strengthen accountability, and ensure client feedback informs decision-making. Quarterly review meetings involving district leadership and national stakeholders are being conducted to monitor progress, share learnings, and refine implementation strategies.
The initiative equips VHTs to distribute a full range of FP methods, conduct structured community dialogues to dispel myths and gather feedback, and support MoH in implementing the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS). Quarterly review meetings and joint supervision with district and national teams are held to monitor progress and improve service delivery. A national consultant is also engaged to strengthen the FP distribution model and document best practices. This intervention enhances last-mile delivery of self-care services and improves data systems for reproductive health at the community level.
Funder: CIFF Through MakSPH Period: 2025-2026 Focus Areas; Self-Care, SRH
As part of a national reproductive health initiative, TEGEM is leading the scale-up of Hormonal Intrauterine Devices (H-IUDs) across 154 public health facilities in Uganda’s Busoga and Tooro regions. Through partnerships with the Ministry of Health and key stakeholders, the project aims to increase access to long-acting family planning methods, improve provider skills, and enhance community awareness.
Despite challenges such as commodity delays and equipment shortages, the project remains on track. Community engagement and facility-based mentorships are planned in the coming months to boost demand and ensure sustainability.
Our approach involves close collaboration with cultural leaders, community influencers, and district health teams to promote accurate information, address myths, and build trust around family planning.
Funder: CHAI (Catalytic Opportunity Fund) Period: October 2024 – October 2025 Focus Areas; SRH