That is not a statistic about bad choices. It is a statistic about a system that has consistently failed to give young people accurate, accessible, youth-friendly information about sexual and reproductive health.
Girls First Initiative is changing that — through young people themselves.
#UzaziSalamaKiGenZ is our ongoing Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR) social media campaign, led by 9 trained ambassadors: 7 young women and 2 young men. The gender balance is intentional — SRHR conversations gain credibility and reach when men are part of them — but the majority is women by design. Many of the directions this campaign needs to go, particularly around bodily autonomy and reproductive decision-making, land differently and more powerfully when girls are leading that conversation themselves. It does not read as activism. It reads as lived experience.
And that distinction matters in a policy environment where these topics require careful navigation.
Ambassadors are creating and distributing content about sexual and reproductive health directly to their peers — in the language, format, and tone that their generation actually responds to. Online. Through content creation. Meeting young people where they already are.
This is not top-down health messaging.
It is young people trusting young people — consistently the most effective channel for attitude and behaviour change around SRHR.
The campaign is live. The content is being created. The reach is growing.
Does your organisation work in SRHR, digital health communications, or youth-led advocacy in East Africa? We are actively building the next phase of this campaign. Let’s connect.