Word from the National Chairperson

The ED shares RHU’s work druing the 2019 RHU Annual General Meeting. The meeting was officiated by Hon. Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the Minister of State for Primary Healthcare.

making substantial contributions to the organisation, and six RHU branches were also recognised for good performance at the Annual General Meeting 2019. Additionally, in 2019, RHU continued with efforts to recruit more volunteers to support our different programmes and governance with up to 409 new volunteer members recruited.

We also realised more financial resources through our different fundraising mechanisms both internally and externally, to support implementation of different programmes in this reporting period. This trajectory however was affected by the IPPF (our biggest funder) 10% reduction in funding to all affiliates across the continent including RHU. This had a profound and negative effect on the implementation of some of RHU projects and personnel. Despite this cut however, our deliberate fundraising efforts with support from IPPF and other local and international partners enabled an 8% increase in the organization’s overall income from UGX 26,486,063,000 to UGX 28,658,158,000 with five (5) new projects coming on board. We also had up to three projects phased out.

I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate the support of the Government of the Republic of Uganda through the different line ministries we work with and the district local governments and other partner organisations for the immense support to the different RHU programmes.

67%

On behalf of the National Executive Committee, I also extend my appreciation to all RHU staff, governance Percentage increase of Local committees and volunteers who revenue collection fund have worked towards RHU’s great in 2019, having realised achievements in this reporting period.

UGX 351,373,000 in I also thank our esteemed donors and 2019 compared to UGX partners without whom RHU wouldn’t 209,875,000 by end of 2018. have made such great strides towards attaining our vision - ‘A Uganda where everyone’s sexual reproductive health rights are fulfilled and protected without discrimination.” Nathan T. Kipande Chairperson, RHU National Executive Committee

Message from our Executive Director

Four years back, we embarked on a seven-year journey. A journey with ambitious targets to be attained through Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights advocacy; provision and enabling provision of services and information to young people, women, men with a bias to the vulnerable, hard-to-reach and marginalised populations that include the poor and refugees. Twenty-nineteen (2019) was the fourth and mid-year in the journey of implementing the RHU Strategic Plan 2016 – 2022.

Iam thrilled by the fact that the achievements stipulated in this annual report brought us closer to achieving the set targets in our seven-year plan. In this reporting period, RHU continued to focus on the four outcome areas: advocacy for favorable SRHR policies and legislations; information education and communication with a bias on sexuality education targeting the young people, providing quality SRHR information and services and ensuring we are an accountable, sustainable and a result oriented organisation.

I am glad to report that mid-way the journey, we continued to attain, and at times surpass our targets in the focus outcome areas. And 2019 was not any different. We registered increased performance compared to the previous year. In this reporting period, RHU was able to provide more than seven million seven hundred thousand (7.7 million) SRHR services with a total client load of more than one million two hundred thousand (1.2 million) clients served.

More than three million six hundred thousand (3.6 million) of these services were offered to young people. We offered these services through different avenues including our 18 static clinics across the country; our integrated service outreaches organised in the communities; through our community-based agents and our franchise clinics. We also realised a seventy-one percent (71%) increase in the family planning services offered compared to the previous year. This sharp increase was as a result of the new WISH2ACTION project funded by DFID that has since its inception greatly supplemented our programmes especially family planning.

This reporting year also saw great efforts undertaken in the area of capacity building.

With different staff receiving tailor-made trainings ranging from different technical skills in service delivery to management and leadership. In addition, RHU human resource management information system was upgraded to ensure better informed planning and decision making. The

RHU board and management staff were also trained in Gender Transformative

Approaches (GTA) to addressing

SRH needs; they were also trained in accountability as a key step in the process of reviewing the organisation’s internal policies with a focus on promoting gender equality and justice.

Over 2019, RHU worked closely with different players including civil society organisations, members of parliament, and government agencies including Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development among others to enable favorable SRHR policy environment to enable universal access to SRHR services and information and increase resource allocations for family planning and SRH as a whole.

At national level, working with partners we supported the processes for the review and approval of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill 2019, which was approved by cabinet that includes SRH services. The Bill is now before Parliament. At subnational level, working in over 30 districts, we advocated for resource allocation for SRHR services and favorable policies for reproductive health especially for young people’s access to services.

I am delighted to share that once again RHU emerged the Winner- NGO Category of the Financial Reporting (FiRE) Awards 2019. Organised by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU), Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and Uganda Securities Exchange (USE), these awards take place every year and bring competitors from different sectors including civil society, corporate and private companies. Now, two years in a row – 2018 and 2019, we have emerged winners in the NGO category.

In addition to continuously pursuing our mission to champion and provide universal access to rights based SRHR information and services, our focus in 2020 will be on using innovative avenues to increase our revenue and donor base. This will be through various ways including the African Citizens Initiative on sexual and reproductive health and rights (ACI) whose goal is to empower and enable volunteers to take part in a peerto-peer fundraising programme to raise financial support for reproductive health programmes. We will also increase our efforts in reaching out to more funding opportunities/ donors to sustain our programmes.

I salute our donors, especially the International

Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Regional Office (IPPFARO) who have provided the much needed resources and technical support to help advance our mission.

In the same spirit, I appreciate; UNFPA, DFID, DFPA, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rutgers, Sonke Gender Justice, the different embassies including the Netherlands, Danish,

Belgian among others that support our work– we would not be celebrating these amazing achievements without your support both financial and technical.

Last but not least, I applaud the support of the RHU board and RHU staff who are the pivot of ensuring that all resources we receive are put to the expected use in delivering RHU’s mandate. Thank you for all your hard work, for caring and being part of this amazing journey to a Uganda where everyone’s SRHR are fulfilled and protected without discrimination.

7.7 million

SRHR services offerd by RHU in 2019 with a total client load of more than 1,2 million clients served.

Jackson Chekweko, Executive Director - Repuroductive Health Uganda