Teenage Healih inforn>aiion Service, Uganda \\ l!ile V/hL 0 the Heclih !;:tormat!c.n Sc-: . ·~~~·C: 109.,J, its r,·,ain concern \\as m,2d oiner sexual c.nd real need it \'.'as dt;luge:d by clienis Their mosi common concErn hcs 2 c!ioJts must be, llwll· 1CJ tmm~ tL;;t ~ill ,,f the foll::ming inll nenlions ~re a\ail;;blc lulll:l!litd. as \>.dl as lll!Jilarrird girls. Support for physical we:fl-being TLi·. i) primnil\ nnini:dn scxJH:JltJi. b\ tllat buill girls and buys )cam ;Ji,ulll ~ex, rtpwduction ;md tlH: Il'btc,d ric..Ls at an c1rlv "te. lnfunm!iun slwuld 'ignorance plus c·arly marri;:ge· as tl1e child ~~~xual pruiection ~.tratcgy. Fwpns;ils 11ut Jdokscents - 1mle and nalf - s]Jould \10 giwn sex educz1tion ·:11!d Jme <Jccuss to n·prmluctive lil'<Jl!IJ have often been greeted will1 Iesio(;IJlce. ln :1 nunJber of African and Asi;m cultmes. there is rf'ticence about, or e~!J actu;d t:1boo on, tile discus.~ion of sex. TIJis L·c·d~ fc;IJ) tl:<Jt sex educiilion will e:uly m:w1l rcbtions ;mel preg)l::ncy The wmL of Ul\:AlDS lm clemon:.1I<ilr·cl sue ll ledrs to be unfonmkd. :mcl ll:;lt sex rclucotion does not ]c;Jd to iliklHkd 10 dllcl lljllildUCti\l' priJnli.ICIJity. All tl:e s:m:e, such miscon1;1 ke lime to onrcome. Evidence sho\\s that silence about sex cJc,es not inhibit lccn<Jge pregnancy in COIJJI1ril·s \\'here old-style .sexual proteclililJ systerr:s <ill bre;JLing clown ancl HJV rtow poses a serious ilJH'ilt to the lives of 1irls. More tlt<JJJ hztlf of new HJV infec,ions cum in 1S-24 year olcls, but girls lwcome illfcctecl at twice the rate of boys. 11 Mc,re co1mtrics <Jre now \\illing to include sex ;md fomily life ecluc1lion in tl:e sc]Jool cuJiicuhnn as a me:1ns of cumHJV, ancl this growing accept ~~nee mcd' r•cilllorcin~. as do vonth-focuscd UIJ t J lis i':suc Jlm\'P\er, ronc~rn v.illJ tec·mge vulro l-!JV lJ<J<. centn·d on those \' Jw ;!Je in school 01 lc·cding liws tlJ;:t l'\]JU.<.~ tl!Uli to risLy SC'XIJJl actiYity. This iJMJri;;bly exclwJr.s girls \Yho nre m;miecl. Yet they. too, are \lllnnable. end JJccd to lw ;cd1h· to ;Hlopt systE·ms of sclf-pwteclion whr·re tl:ry fr·ar their hmk1wls ;m· inkrtccl or could lx· o:posed to HJV. Unlih mmt of their llllrn::nit'd pcm. JJJanied an~ expusecl crmstantly TO sex. ;mel may be mme l;rcJIW to ST!s."' Jn these circlllllst;mces, there is an urgvnt IICl'd to tr;:ILifCJllll <t11itucb and to\\ mls <Jclul<Ycnt l:calth ca1 e <llid prc,\·ide services 1l1<:t <Ill' acccssilJk tn are ne,.,·cumers. Trained Such a service may only rmny of 'NhC•Ill are beyond its rt:,J.:h. Eui il inioc-rna\ion and help as tht:y journey SourcE.' Proj~ct visit, 1~,1::tggi-::, il!u~iroics their ss,:ual Black, Scptc-mf.;cr 2000. lllc!ITicd and 11IIlllnllicd youngsters of both sews. Life sl:ills edl!cation for scxuallil·<Jlll: and rwgotiation needs to be providvd in the ( h1sruom. in youth rluLs and through nev:s]r~tters <~nd radio progLilllll!es. The FXJli'Jience oft he Nugmu Tcemge Hcnlth lnform<liion Service in J\ampab, ~.]:ows the ;!):ptlile of young pcoplt fui inform"1ion about sex-Teh!cd pwbkn:s. 111 In lllJll)' dr:vcloping cuuntri~s. L1d: of n·snurces JIJ:Jhs conlrcceptir'n and rcpwdnciiw ach ice inncce.1sible. This silu<ition may be ex.Jcr'rbated by religinus belids that clbJppmH of artifici<Jl birth control nwllwcls. The result is tl1at rn;m\ adolescents, both m;mied ;:md urmJanied. find it difficult to locate, or even se~k. help :1bout sexual metters. There may be few f;~cilities offc·ring such support, particularly in rr·Ir:ot e mr;Jl areas. The poorest ofttn bch the resources to trawl to these LJCilities and anv_.. fr,·cs char0ecl for the ~U\'ices 011 0 offer v.ould pmh them E·vc·n fmlher out of rr,aclt. In some ca_\l'o, tl:e antc-niilal clinic i: tll(' oiily pbce wlwre a young \\'0111211 can uLtain rrproductlie crhict, but pregnarn is n pre-condition. ColltJZJcc']'tiot: JrJ<ry nut bC' offr~red to HiiiJTied \\O!lll'il lilllil tl:c) ]J;wc bome a child. T!Jw• is an urgent nH·d fur )'oullJ frit ndly' ]walt): sen ices. 2s arloJr•sn·nts ar~ unlikely to sceL help ahout SI'XIJ<Jlm;Jitns from il sen ice t11"1 is l!ll'.\Tllp<illwtic to tl1r"ir needs and anm~tics. Girls <1ged 15 to H• giw birth to 15 million h~:bics a \NL tvl<my of tlie:.'. girls birth v.itlwut attending ;m ;m\emt<Jl clinic or recl'iliTJg the lwlp of a profc\liomlrllidv:ife. H is csscJilial trJ df'vi.le progr<mll!ll"S to reach girls in and mit of n1aniagr v.ith rfprorluctivc achice and senices - " p<1rticukir ch{llll'ng~ in the Jl•Jilo1l~ n:r;J! [}Jeas wlicre must n:;lrl iagcs an: to Le found. Educa fion for empo!t,Hment and intellectual developrm-nt The ky to girls' progress is erlncation ;md karnir1g. Pmltading to Leep tl1f'i1 cl:wgl1t,·LI in ~clJCiol <1ml th;1t tlwy rcceiw· a ],ask educ~ttion, <ISh tllii1 1igl1t. h f,:;r a 11\il!ILru of jii'LIOJ1;!l ;l]lu as v.-L'll as \\'hkr :_c.~~_t-d !il1d i<Ct- Boll1 Sri Lmb :1ncl tlJr' st<11t: of J\er;da iJ: neighbouring Jndia 11:1\e rcLrth ely l1igh ag~ of !iJst They :ilso lmr else in cC•JJJiiJOll 1h<Jt hac CCI]!llili\ill'd tC; tllb lJuilJ k1n· ginn Ligh pricllii)' tu l'clncation fu1 won1en ~s \\ell as nwn. This k1s clJ:!ngf'd ihf· 1\<l)' IJlUl il!!d \\Ollkll jll'lCCive their rob <Hid poi ential, nml h;11 led to grc~1ier sup]HH1 for tlie rights of \Vomcn tll<~ll is found in 1nany otl:er parts uf tllis Wl:uc· girls l1ove lost out on funn:d ubc!iion. nrJn-fonnill progJ<ililllll'S Ctll help t]Jc n1 catcl1 up on tl1e intl'lkrtJI:il <!lid rwr<.nnal puwth offered bv Sncl: pwgr;mnms c;m k:w '' cliH·ct <•ll r·::rl\ f10m tl1c~ 1~1DUs (]!liOng \he p2oplr~ c•f 111c di,trict in Ecm·a kcltc1 :1 hll in eailv lililll and l!clprd 1\CJJiiliJ ;;siC!! t}Jc·nj·;r·lvcs. While" tl11re l10s I z:l l'S Th clPclmc of girl< enrolnwnt :1!ld <lilUJchwe aftu JL-13 is Jl!IJ\t Jll:n):c·cl in s;rb-Soh:JJall Africa. ln fu1 e\:ilnph·. tmolm~.·nt oi girl\ awl buys is (·qual :11 1[-Jj but t]i!, uf JIJ-17 71 pr·J u'ri1 of