UDI HISTORY.

Ugunja Development Initiative, abbreviated as UDI, is a youth-led registered community-based organization that was founded in 2016. This was a result of many challenges adolescent youths and women of reproductive age undergo, with few programs that focus on addressing them. This, therefore, resulted in a baseline survey targeting adolescents and youths in school during school holidays. The findings included; inadequate focused ASRHR programs; unmet modern FP among youths and women of reproductive age; Lack of youth-friendly services; inadequate youth-friendly service providers and attitudes; high early pregnancy cases; increased sexual and gender-based violence; increased HIV/AIDs among young people; Inadequate employment opportunities, among others, resulted in the registration of Ugunja Development Initiative.

A group of four young people then analyzed the findings and requested a meeting with the sub-county MOH to share the findings. This was confirmed, and the consensus was built on initiating advocacy efforts in the community, including strengthening the referral mechanisms through collaboration with local administration and the community strategy model. The community welcomed this engagement model very well since it involved young people from
within the same community. Additionally, the team appointed four board members to support oversight and technical and resource mobilization for the organization.