Adolescents in Rwanda face significant gaps in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge, and those gaps carry real consequences. Early and unintended pregnancy remains a challenge, STI rates among young people are a documented concern, and the social stigma around discussing sexuality openly means many adolescents navigate these questions without reliable information or trusted adults to turn to.
2025-2026 Rwandan fellows addressed this head-on for their coalition project, facilitating an SRH education session with adolescents at the Sherrie Silver Foundation in Kigali. The Foundation provides education, shelter, and mentorship to young people from underserved backgrounds, and it offered a ready community of young people who deserved access to health knowledge many had never been given.
Fellows led sessions covering SRH fundamentals, STIs, HIV and AIDS, and contraception. But the approach that set the day apart was the introduction of Urukundo, a board game designed in Rwanda to make SRH learning interactive, culturally grounded, and engaging for young people on their own terms.
Games are an excellent tool to lower the stakes of a conversation that can otherwise feel. In this case, it created room for questions that adolescents might not ask a teacher or parent directly. Fellows watched participants lean in, ask questions with genuine curiosity, and engage with topics that often go unspoken.
The session was a reminder that the format of health education shapes its reach. Rwanda has made meaningful progress on youth health indicators over the past two decades, but coverage of SRH education remains uneven, particularly for young people outside formal health systems. By partnering with community organizations like the Sherrie Silver Foundation, the GHC community fills gaps that clinics and schools don’t always reach. Meeting young people in a space they trust, with content that connects to their lives is what makes that kind of education stick.