Netherlands, Iceland leave lasting health and gender gains in nine Ugandan districts
“We are convinced that this money has been spent for the right cause, and that what we worked on has made a remarkable change in the community. What makes me happy is the ownership,” Mr Bouwe-Jan Smeding said.
Development partners listen to a health worker during a visit to a HEROES-supported health facility. Pictured are Mr Bouwe-Jan Smeding, Head of Development Cooperation / Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Ms Selma Sif Isfeld Oskarsdottir, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Iceland; and Ms Elin Hilwig, First Secretary, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Together with Mr. Richard Kityo Representative from the Ministry of Gender and Labor and Social services representing he Commissioner Ministry of Gender and Women Affairs.
________________ Dr Patrick Kagurusi, Country Manager, Amref Health Africa in Uganda, introduces programme partners and development-partner representatives to participants during the HEROES for Gender Transformative Action close-out event in Mbale District on September 3rd, 2026.
A six-year programme that placed adolescents, young people and communities at the centre of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has closed with stronger health systems, more responsive community structures and a clear commitment by local governments to sustain the gains.
Amref Health Africa implemented the HEROES for Gender Transformative Action (HEROES4GTA) Programme in Uganda from 2020 to 2026, in partnership with Cordaid and MIFUMI Uganda, with financial support from the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Iceland.
It worked across nine districts: Bugiri, Budaka, Bukwo, Iganga, Kalangala, Kween, Mayuge, Mbale and Namayingo.
Six years of investment in people and systems
Speaking at the programme close-out event held at Bukiende in Mbale District on 3 September 2026, Dr Patrick Kagurusi, Country Manager, Amref Health Africa in Uganda, said the programme's lasting value was not only in the number of people reached, but also in the systems, skills and local structures strengthened to continue serving communities after programme funding ends.
Across the nine districts, HEROES supported 65 health facilities to expand adolescent-friendly services. Supported facilities contributed approximately 43% of district outputs for family planning, antenatal care, skilled delivery and SGBV services, despite representing about 22% of public health facilities in the participating districts.
The programme also trained and mentored health workers, strengthened community referral mechanisms and supported young people to access accurate information and services.
The programme's gender-transformative work extended beyond health facilities to schools, families, community organisations, men and boys, local leaders, police and justice structures.
It supported 14,849 survivors to access health, psychosocial and legal services and increased court-concluded SGBV cases from seven at baseline to 223 by programme completion.
The Government of the Netherlands was the principal development partner supporting HEROES.
At the close-out, Mr Bouwe-Jan Smeding, Head of Development Cooperation / Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, welcomed the evidence of change and placed particular emphasis on local ownership as the foundation for sustainability.
“We are convinced that this money has been spent for the right cause, and that what we worked on has made a remarkable change in the community. What makes me happy is the ownership,” Mr Bouwe-Jan Smeding said.
That ownership is reflected in the programme's close-out approach. Rather than establishing parallel structures, HEROES worked through government systems, district structures, health facilities, schools and community institutions. Districts have developed sustainability plans, while programme approaches and priorities are being integrated into local development plans and annual work plans.
Mr Bouwe-Jan Smeding, Head of Development Cooperation / Economic Affairs, also reaffirmed the Netherlands' longstanding commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, an area in which the country has supported efforts to expand access, strengthen rights and enable young people—particularly girls and young women—to make informed choices about their health and futures.
Iceland adds WASH and prevention to the programme's legacy
The Embassy of Iceland complemented the wider HEROES investment with approximately US$700,000 in support focused on WASH and HPV-related interventions.
In Kalangala District, this support helped connect safe water, sanitation, menstrual hygiene and cervical-cancer prevention to the programme's wider gender and health objectives.
Development-partner representatives and Amref staff engage health workers during a facility visit, reflecting the programme's emphasis on stronger, more responsive health systems and sustained local ownership.
The team constructed two drainable VIP toilet blocks with incinerators, reached more than 1,887 schoolchildren with improved hygiene practices, and provided five schools with WASH and menstrual hygiene management kits.
The prevention component also reached women and girls: 2,182 girls were vaccinated against HPV, and 6,413 women were screened for cervical cancer. Together, these interventions demonstrated how investments in water, sanitation and preventive health can reinforce dignity, safety, education and longer-term health outcomes.
Ms Selma Sif Isfeld Oskarsdottir, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Iceland, highlighted Iceland's continued commitment to supporting communities in Uganda through a district-based approach and through collaboration with government and other development partners.
From programme close-out to a locally owned legacy
The close-out therefore marked a transition rather than an end. HEROES leaves behind trained health workers and teachers, strengthened community-based organisations, peer networks, youth-friendly service platforms, survivor-centred referral systems and district structures with greater capacity to respond to the health and protection needs of adolescents, women and girls.
For the nine participating districts, the next test will be whether these gains are sustained through local leadership, routine government systems, continued financing and community accountability.
The programme's experience points to a simple but important lesson: lasting change is strongest when communities and public institutions are not only beneficiaries of development investment, but owners of the solutions.