AWAC spearheaded the development of Standard Operating Procedures for communicating PrEP to sex workers and adolescent girls and young women at high risk in partnership  with Ministry of Health; AWAC with support from CHANGE-US spear headed formation the women rising coalition of sex workers organizations which successfully engaged DREAM implementing partners and advocated for inclusion of children of sex workers and adolescent girls surviving in sex work setting in the DREAM program; AWAC also took the stewardship role of harnessing strategic alliances and consensus position, developed and submitted   the sex workers’ position paper on the problematic provisions of the sexual offenses bill 2015 which negatively impact on access to services by sex workers and other marginalized women to  the Legal and parliamentary affairs committee of parliament. https://mobile.monitor.co.ug/News/Women-ask-Parliament-decriminalise-prostitution/2466686-4986544-format-xhtml-y66n77/index.html. The Bill was eventually withdrawn from parliament by its author. The current revised bill doesn’t have those provision for criminalization of sex work which we consider a big win on the side of AWAC and the sex worker’s movement.

AWAC participated in the development, review and validation of in country and international plans, Policy and performance instruments pertinent to Key population programming.

Among them were; Synthesis, Consolidation and Building Consensus on Key and Priority Population Size Estimation Numbers in Uganda; Technical Guidelines on Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care for People who use Alcohol, Drugs and Other Substances; Multi-Sectoral HIV Programming Framework for Key and Priority Populations in Uganda;

National Report on Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; Uganda HIV Prevention Shadow Report 2019; Toolkit for differentiated HIV and Other service Delivery Models for Key Populations in Uganda and  PEPFAR Country Operation Plan (COP) processes. Under this domain, AWAC has incorporated sensitization sessions, including, training of 150 FSWs, 26 Venue managers and 131 Police officers in Sex Workers Human rights safety and security, barriers to appropriate protection, linkages and referrals and legal redress led to a significant improvement in documentation, monitoring of reporting of Human and significant reduction in violations against FSWs.

Following AWAC  training of grassroots FSWs leaders in gender equality  and women empowerment , advocacy and Feminist transformational leadership: previously stigmatized and excluded  FSWs vied for municipal and town council leadership 6 were elected  as women Councillors; 3 FSWs were elected to represent Key populations on district Human rights committees; one  FSWs leaders successfully rescued her 13 year old niece from forced child marriage FSWs received free safe  space on radio to deliberate on their  GBV issues while 2 FSWs  got platform to spotlight their pressing concerns in presence of a deputy prime minister; 2 FSWs negotiated payment  from a police officer who had consumed  their sexual services and initially refused to pay; A FSW leader supported a FSW with hearing impairment report, and ,access which resulted in arrest, and court prosecution of the culprit  justice following her  nasty gang rape experience; Another FSWs leader supported to negotiate return of her fellow FSW who had been evicted  from a market food vending workplace for being labelled  a prostitute;  FSWs leaders  utilized their presence on the Human rights committee to bring to the attention of the security committee that women including 8  female sex workers  killed by area gangster boys. The security team swung in action with response and mitigation measures several suspects arrested leading to reduction in attacks.    

AWAC realizes this domain of change through use of the Peer Strengths Footsteps (PSF) Model: This taps into a peer’s latent strengths and challenge her to mobilize, lead, mentor, breathe faith and radiate the same competence to those who come to walk in her footsteps. With AWAC’s support, these peers evolve from emerging peer leaders to group leaders to CBO leaders who later strengthen other groups to become CBOs.