Adolescence is characterized by wonderful developments, experiences and risk taking behaviour that leads to a multitude of adolescent sexual reproductive health problems. The commonest among these being early unprotected sex, leading to early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STDS and sometimes early marriages.

Since 1993, Straight Talk Foundation (STF) has played a key role in improving the lives of young people through quality behaviour change programmes. One aspect of these programmes is the Outreach and Training Programme (OTP) that started in 2001.

OTP involves face-to-face communication, which complements the newspapers and radio programmes. It aims at creating a supportive environment for young people, in and out of schools by targeting parents, teachers and the adolescents themselves. It focuses on following key strategies as indicated below.

Primary teacher sensitisation programme
It targets primary schools teachers all over Uganda . It offers sensitisation workshops on adolescent sexual reproductive health. The workshops focus on ASRH problems and solutions. Using life skills education and guidance and counselling. This programme has been very helpful in the implementation of PIASCY, a sex education initiative under ministry of education. Since 2001, OTP has worked with almost 10,000 teachers in 3500 primary schools in 14 districts.

Secondary teachers training
STF trains secondary school teachers to identify challenges facing their students, appreciate them and give them skills of helping young people with ASRH problems. Teachers are introduced to different facilitation skills to use in integrating Reproductive Health messages and skills to behaviour change in students.

Students' training
STF conducts a four-day training in peer education and club management for secondary school students. It is aimed at giving peers correct knowledge on their reproductive health, change their attitude towards their sexuality and build skills that enable them relate positively with fellow peers as they support each other in behaviour change.

Clubs
Clubs are a great source of support for peers in and out of schools, through constant guidance, counselling and life skills education. By the end of 2005, STF had over 800 clubs in schools all over Uganda .

Health fairs
Young people who are out of school come together to a one-stop shop, where they can freely access adolescent friendly services like counselling,VCT.

Parent Talk Dialogues
Straight Talk's research has shown that many parents are ill-prepared to handle challenges of adolescence. STF started targeting parents through parent dialogues, which help them to communicate on adolescence issues comfortably and effectively. These dialogues also help parents understand their own sexuality and enriches on couple dialogue.

In 2005 couples from some selected places in Kampala were helped to open up to their partners on how to disclose their HIV status. These dialogues brought out pertinent issues on discordance and how to handle it in a family. This narrows down to children within the family. When they know and are informed in a good way about the sero- status of their parents, they are able to make wiser decisions on how to relate within the family and school communities.