Uganda is unique in its region in that it has developed an abstinence-only sexual health education curriculum for public schools. However, Uganda lifted a parliamentary ban on sexual education beyond abstinence in May 2018. Adolescent pregnancy poses a health challenge because teenage mothers are constrained in their future pursuit of education and have an increased likelihood of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In addition, children born to younger mothers are at higher risk for illness and death. Mercer On Mission will address this through a pilot project on gender, whole health and sexual health education for high school students.
In partnership with the NGO, students will work on developing and piloting a sexual health curriculum for high school students. They also will develop and perform relevant community health workshops in the Papoli Parish community. Workshop topics will focus on techniques for community-driven malaria prevention, household nutrition enhancement, and other topics identified by the community. Students will learn technical skills alongside a strong emphasis on community engagement, understanding and involvement. This program seeks to understand the needs and desires of the community and set in motion steps to best address them during future Mercer on Mission trips to Uganda. In the courses associated with this project, students will engage in readings and discussions on gender, health and sexual health education in Uganda and develop a holistic understanding of health within the country and Papoli Parish community.
Students in the Mercer On Mission Uganda program will have the unique opportunity to apply interdisciplinary theories from anthropology, global health studies, and women's and gender studies to praxis. Students will learn how to design community-based educational models on vector-born disease prevention and transmission, along with sexual health education workshops for secondary school students.
Students are required to sign up for six hours of credit. The registrar will enroll you in courses for your program, including one class from each of the program's faculty.
