Submission ID 131920
| Issue/Objective | Across many African communities, young people struggle to access health information, services, and spaces where they can speak openly about their lives. While health systems exist, they are often fragmented, hard to navigate, and not designed with young people in mind. At the same time, there are trusted community spaces, like libraries-that sit within the communities where young people live. These spaces are accessible, familiar, and often safer, offering less stigma compared to formal health settings. In many rural areas, they also help bridge the digital gap by providing access to information and connectivity that young people would otherwise not have. However, community libraries are still largely seen as places for reading, rather than platforms for connection, support, and engagement that can respond to the broader needs of young people and their communities. This work explores how community libraries can be reimagined as infrastructure that connects young people to health, services, and opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them. Instead of focusing only on the services libraries offer - Reading and access to information, the approach looks at how these spaces have been used to bring together health and mental information to young people, access of health policies and resources to health providers and community actors in one place. The objective is to show how community libraries have been used beyond their traditional role and have become practical, accessible entry points for advancing youth health, agency, and community-led solutions contributing to more inclusive and responsive health systems. |
|---|---|
| Methodology/Approach | This work draws on a practical implementation model from the Goals and Pages Project in Eastern Uganda, implemented between December 2023 and August 2024 across Busia and Tororo districts, in areas with high rates of teenage pregnancy, SRHR related access stigma, limited or no internet access and youth unfriendly services. The approach used existing community libraries as safe, accessible spaces to connect health information, services, and youth engagement within communities where young people live. It combined four strategies: community libraries, beyond-the-classroom engagements (Vijana camps and sports for health, open mic sessions), provider VCATs, and grassroots movement building. Within libraries, young people accessed age-appropriate SRHR information through printed materials, peer-led dialogues, and interactive sessions such as "Girl Talk," life skills training, and menstrual health education. These were supported by broader engagement through schools, sports events, youth parliaments, and community outreach platforms. The model strengthened links between community spaces and formal health systems by establishing referral pathways to nearby facilities and engaging trained providers. Health workers were supported to act not only as service providers but as youth-friendly advocates. A strong focus was placed on co-creation and local ownership. Young people were engaged as peer educators and facilitators, while community actors, including teachers, and CBOs-were involved in direct implementation while cultural leader and local government were involved for sustainability beyond the funding cycles Data was drawn from routine monitoring systems, quarterly reviews, and qualitative insights from stakeholders, including key informant interviews. |
| Results | The implementation demonstrated that community libraries can effectively function as entry points for youth engagement, health information access, and community connection and expanded reach for the excluded communities. Across the different communities, libraries expanded beyond reading spaces to support a wide range of youth-centered activities. Young people participated in regular sessions on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including topics such as body changes, menstrual health, HIV/STIs, and decision-making. Peer-led platforms such as "Girl Talk" created safe spaces where girls could openly discuss sensitive issues, contributing to increased confidence and awareness. Libraries also strengthened links between communities and services. Referral pathways connected young people to nearby health facilities, while engagement with trained providers improved access to youth-friendly information and support. In several cases, young people who engaged through library sessions were able to seek services they would not have accessed otherwise. Beyond health, the model supported broader youth development. Libraries hosted activities such as vocational skills training (e.g., tailoring, hairdressing, baking), financial literacy sessions, digital literacy, and creative arts. These activities attracted diverse groups of young people, including out-of-school youth and teen mothers, expanding the reach of the model. Community engagement was a key outcome. Libraries worked through schools, mobile libraries (libraries taken closer to the communities) community radios, and local platforms (Vijana camps) reaching both young people and wider community members. The establishment of library management committees-including local leaders, teachers, parents, and youth representatives-helped build local ownership and accountability. Key lessons emerged from the implementation. First, using existing community spaces reduced stigma and increased trust compared to formal health settings. Second, integrating multiple services and activities in one space increased participation and sustained engagement. Third, youth-led approaches strengthened relevance and uptake, while partnerships with community actors and service providers were essential for sustainability and scale. This model was inclusive in nature and catered for all needs of young people in their full diversity (For example, inclusion of brails, infrastructure that allowed able abled differently to access. reading support sessions for low literacies audience like grandmothers/father were conducted by volunteers). Overall, the model showed that community libraries can serve as one stop center, locally anchored platforms that improve access to correct and age-appropriate health information, strengthen social networks, and support youth agency across multiple areas of need. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | This model shows that community libraries can play a much bigger role in strengthening local health systems than is currently recognized. By using spaces that already exist within communities, the model reduces barriers to access, builds trust, and creates more inclusive ways for young people to engage with health information and services. Importantly, this model is already influencing policy and system-level thinking. The model has been embedded within the national self-care policy rollout, recognizing community libraries as practical platforms for expanding access to information and services at community level. In addition, libraries are increasingly being considered as service entry points within referral pathways, helping to connect young people from informal community spaces to formal health systems. The findings highlight the importance of integrated, community-centered approaches in addressing fragmentation within health systems. Rather than creating parallel structures, this model works by strengthening existing community infrastructure and linking it to service providers, schools, and local governance systems. The model also reinforces the value of youth leadership. When young people are engaged as facilitators, peer educators, and decision-makers, participation increases and services become more relevant and accessible. There is strong potential for scale. Community libraries already exist in many parts of Africa and can be adapted to serve broader community needs beyond literacy. With the right partnerships, investment, and policy support, this model can be replicated across different contexts to strengthen primary health care, improve access to services, and support locally led solutions. Overall, this work contributes to the conference theme of reclaiming global health equity by demonstrating how locally rooted, community-driven infrastructure can restore access, trust, and agency in fragmented health systems. It aligns closely with sub-theme 2 by showing how change can be driven from the community level, with young people at the center. We also recommend introducing digital aspects into this model to close the rural/urban digital divide. This would equip the young people with digital skills and knowledge to enable them to compete on equal footing for opportuneness, markets and broaden their networks. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Josephine Lavoy Ajambo Third Sector Builders (TSB) Dr. Ben Kibirige Afrovive Health Foundation Isabella Amony Kyetume Community Based Progrgam- Implementation Partner |
