It is said that; only travelers tell extraordinary stories! our thrilling adventure to the Land of Odii in search of the next Miss/Mr. Y+ Northern Region 2020/21 is one for the books. The Land of Odii mothers over 14 districts that are the homes of the Langi, Karamojong, Itesots and Kwaku people. From the long- haul ride and the bumpy roads with rhythmic sounds of Aza, our excitements kept gearing up until our final destination in Kwania District. On Friday, October 23rd, our first reception was held at the District Local Government Headquarters where we held a community Dialogue with selected district officials and other relevant stakeholders to understand the reasons behind the widespread levels of stigma and discrimination in the communities.
The journey of the Y+ beauty pageant continued to the land of the Kyabazinga and Hon Kadaga in Kamuli district
the weekend of 16 th – 17 th October 2020; we started with a community dialogue on Friday 16th October, 2020 at
Kamuli district Disabled People’s Union (KAMDIPU) with 30 stakeholders which brought together teachers, health
workers, like minded SRHR-HIV partners, policy makers, representatives from the media fraternity, religious,
cultural and community opinion leaders among others to dialogue on the ongoing stigma and discrimination among
young people living with HIV/AIDS (YPLHIV) especially in Kamuli district.
Celebrating 58 years of Uganda’s independence with the first auditions of the 2020 Y+ Beauty Pageant running under the theme, “Changing the Narrative of Young People Living with HIV”. We commenced with a community dialogue hosted at the Uganda AIDS Commission offices in Kampala; the dialogue brought together 25 key stakeholders including; the Global Fund CCM
representatives, opinion leaders, the police, teachers, parents, law enforcement, health workers, media fraternity, CSOs representatives, and young people.