IAWG members are addressing sexual and reproductive rights during COVID-19 humanitarian response. Read More>>
DaVision Group, a refugee-led and refugee-run organization in Uganda, is driven by a vision in which refugee communities prosper and support young people in claiming their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
DaVision Group serves women, girls, and people with disabilities in western Uganda’s Kyaka II Refugee Settlement with a population, as of 2019, of displaced people from South Sudan (65%), Democratic Republic of Congo (27%), Burundi (3%), and Somalia (2%) (UNHCR).
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DaVision Group was founded in 2017 by Faridah Luanda, who channeled her own experiences with child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and motherhood to empower women and girls in similar situations.
“Many refugee girls go through the same situation without speaking out or decide for themselves. That is why DaVision is here,”
Luanda said.
Working to enable young people to access SRHR, DaVision Group operates a learning space within Kyaka II for community members to learn about SRHR, including family planning counseling, condom distribution, menstruation education, HIV awareness, and gender-based violence prevention. Referrals are made on a case-by-case basis if requested.
Skill-building workshops are also held in the community space, designed to promote economic resilience.
Recently, the organization was able to install a semi-permanent roof at their training center, making their learning space more comfortable for the community members accessing DaVision Group’s services.
Luanda shared that she hopes DaVision Group will empower young people in Kyaka II to “become actors of changes that will be instrumental in reaching the objectives of the group [fulfilling] … young people’s access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health [and] rights in the refugee community.”
IAWG members and partners are producing clinical and programmatic guidance, assessments, policy papers, and statements to ensure continued prioritization of sexual and reproductive health and rights throughout COVID-19 response in humanitarian settings.
