Sexual and reproductive economic empowerment is not just a concept … it is a lifeline for adolescent girls who are too often excluded from education and opportunity. The SOARS project, led by WORUDET in partnership with the Centre for Reproductive Rights and six other organizations, is a six-year initiative designed to transform access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for adolescents, with a particular focus on out-of-school girls in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. WORUDET’s role centers on Pillar 1300, with implementation in Arua and Madi-Okolo districts of Uganda.
The ultimate goal of SOARS is to ensure that adolescent girls, especially those outside the formal school system, can access the SRHR services they need to thrive. This vision is anchored in four interconnected pillars that together create a comprehensive framework for change. Pillar 1100 emphasizes increasing the use of SRHR services, including information on sexually transmitted infections, family planning, and menstrual hygiene management. Pillar 1200 focuses on improving the delivery of these services so that they respond to the real needs and aspirations of adolescents, particularly girls. Pillar 1300, where WORUDET is leading, strengthens women’s and girls’ rights organizations by equipping them with training and resources to advocate for evidence-based, accountable, and equitable health policies, legal frameworks, and services. Finally, Pillar 1400 advances knowledge sharing and solidarity among global citizens, ensuring that SRHR issues are understood and addressed across borders.
This integrated approach recognizes that adolescent girls face multiple, overlapping barriers. Out-of-school girls are often invisible in policy and programming, yet they are among the most vulnerable. By focusing on rights, skills, and empowerment, SOARS seeks to break cycles of exclusion and open pathways to dignity and opportunity. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” For adolescent girls, those dreams can only be realized when their health, rights, and voices are respected.
WORUDET’s commitment to grassroots advocacy ensures that communities are not passive recipients of change but active drivers of it. By building strong local movements, gathering evidence, and demanding accountability, we are ensuring that SRHR commitments translate into tangible realities for girls. Through SOARS, we are not only protecting rights but also nurturing resilience, leadership, and hope among adolescent girls who have been left behind for too long.
This is more than a project … it is a promise. A promise that every girl, whether in school or out, deserves the chance to live with dignity, to access the health services she needs, and to shape her own future.
