“I was lucky to be one of the adolescents invited for a training program that would help me push my advocacy dream forward.”
My name is Francoise Tuyizere, and I am based in Kiramuruzi Sector, Gatsibo District, Eastern Province. I am 15 years old, and I am a student at Nyabisindu Secondary School. From a very young age, I was interested in public speaking and making a difference in my community. As I approached my teenage years, I joined a youth club, but I really wasn’t getting the kind of information and tools that I felt were sufficient to lead me on my path to speak for myself and my peers on a higher level on topical issues like teenage pregnancies. However, toward the end of 2019, I was lucky to be one of the adolescents invited for a training program that would help me push my advocacy dream forward. I was trained on issues related to advocacy, Sexual Reproductive Health, and Rights (SRHR), child rights and how they interconnect to contribute to full access to youth friendly SRHR information and services. I have learnt a lot since. This training opportunity has offered me the relevant information and self-confidence that I can rely on to do the advocacy that I and my peers need to make autonomous and healthy decisions around our sexuality and bodies.