CURRENT PLEDGES: 217671
Shared Learning 2025 – Student of the Year
Organisation
Makerere University Antimicrobial Resistance Club
Project Title: Youth Advocacy and Engagement in AMR through establishment of a sustainable Antimicrobial Resistance Club at Makerere University.
Project Overview
Vivian founded the Makerere University Antimicrobial Resistance Club (MUAC), where she provides strategic governance and leadership to raise awareness and provide a platform for engagement of students and other young people in AMR initiatives in advocacy, research in Uganda. Together with her team at MUAC, he has spearheaded over 5 transdisciplinary projects on AMR including student competitions, the AMR Bulletin, Luganda & English social media campaigns and Community Outreaches on AMR which have impacted over 10,000 young people within Makerere University and beyond.
The club works with both faculty and students to ensure maximum reach of their activities.
The AMR Bulletin project to raised AMR awareness among thousands of students and educated the university community about the risks associated with self-medication through a comic-like notice that was shared on prominent notice boards within the university colleges and halls residences. This project also received the highly recommended award from the WAAW MAK-NTU student competition in the comics category.
MUAC has received multiple awards including the Trinity Youth Seed Funding Grant in support of their project WASH Champions that focused of building a new generation of thousands AMR warriors in primary and secondary schools in Uganda and setting up WASH infrastructure to promote infection prevention practices.
Additionally, she has advocated for effective youth engagement in AMR action through keynote speeches at national and global platforms including the 2024 United Nations General Assembly. She is the head of Research at the African Youth Antimicrobial Resistance Taskforce when she leads efforts to build capacity of young people in research in Africa.
She is a fellow of the AMR Ambassadors’ program for Young People in Africa under Zihi Institute.
Impact on tackling AMR
Through essay, bike and poster competitions, the club has directly engaged thousands of students from diverse fields to get involved in AMR awareness and take action.
We have also been able to reach communities in and outside the hospitals through 3 outreaches in Makerere University hospital, Mulago and Garuga community where we used local languages interacted with the members and increased knowledge on AMR and encouraged behavioral change.
Future Development
This year the club will continue its WASH Champions projects to start sustainable AMR Clubs in primary and secondary schools throughout the country and improve WASH infrastructure. The club will also continue to partner with other organizations to maximize its reach with minimum resources.
Organisation
Makerere University School of Public Health
Project title: Community Centered AMR awareness Campaign: The Maama Naka and Maama Namu Project
Project Overview
The project I lead is under the Makerere University Environmental Health Students Association (MUEHSA) which brings together environmental health students to promote advocacy for environmental health issues for example Antimicrobial resistance. The Antimicrobial resistance awareness campaign is focused on using the people centred approach to solve antimicrobial resistance through creative content creation through skits and plays in a way and in a language that can easily be understood by an ordinary Ugandan citizen, which is Luganda. These skits are posted on social media handles like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, which are commonly used by Ugandan citizens which increases the reach of the information entailed in the skits about the dangers of antimicrobial resistance especially with regard to self medication. The content created is based on two characters Maama Naka and Maama Namu of Kiwonvu Zone, Mulago 2 parish in Kampala Uganda. Maama Naka and Maama Namu are highly unaware of the dangers associated with self medication, recommending medication to other people and failure to seek medical attention when presented with signs and symptoms. They are however educated on Antimicrobial Resistance by a Nurse Liz and Maama Naka decides to seek medical attention after being educated about the dangers of self medication. Maama Namu on the other hand chooses to remain adamant about the situation which shows how much behavior change can be difficult. The skits are engaging and entertaining but also educative about antimicrobial resistance which increases the awareness effort.
Impact on tackling AMR
Increased public awareness on Antimicrobial Resistance. The skits and plays featuring relatable characters like Maama Naka and Maama Namu have significantly raised awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Ugandan citizens, especially those who speak Luganda. By using social media platforms like TikTok and X, the campaign has reached a wide audience, fostering an understanding of the dangers of self-medication and the importance of seeking medical advice on presenting with signs and symptoms.
Evidence that behavior change is possible with education. Through the storyline, Maama Naka’s decision to seek medical attention after learning about AMR showcases the campaign’s ability to influence behavior positively. This change illustrates how educating individuals can lead to practical actions that reduce inappropriate antibiotic use.
Community engagement and dialogue. The project has sparked conversations about AMR within communities and on social media, evidenced by comments, shares, and feedback from viewers. This engagement indicates a growing interest and commitment to tackling AMR as a public health issue, driven by relatable and culturally sensitive messaging
Future Development
The project aims to extend its activities beyond Kampala to other regions of Uganda. By adapting the skits to different local languages and cultural contexts, it will reach more diverse audiences, ensuring that AMR awareness becomes a nationwide effort. Additionally, the project is to collaborate with community health workers and local healthcare facilities will be strengthened to integrate AMR education into regular health outreach programs. This will ensure that the awareness campaign reaches people in rural and underserved areas who may not have access to social media. The project plans to create more interactive digital content, including short AMR-focused videos, infographics, and live discussions on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly twitter). This will broaden the scope of engagement and allow for real-time feedback and learning opportunities.
Organisation
International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation
Project title: Global AMR Youth Summit: Empowering Future Health Professionals to Strengthen One Health and Combat Antimicrobial Resistance Through Interprofessional Collaboration
Project Overview
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a “silent pandemic” posing a critical, yet under-recognized, global health threat. Addressing AMR demands a One Health approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental health strategies to promote rational antimicrobial use, improve infection control, and enhance surveillance. While progress has been made, challenges persist in raising public awareness, strengthening healthcare systems, and ensuring equitable access to antimicrobials. The involvement of youth—future health and science professionals—is vital to strengthening AMR efforts.
The World Healthcare Students’ Alliance (WHSA), comprising the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), International Veterinary Students’ Association (IVSA), and International Association of Dental Students (IADS), in collaboration with the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS), launched the Global AMR Youth Summit in 2020. This annual three-day virtual event includes workshops, panel discussions, competitions, and interactive segments, emphasizing interprofessional collaboration and youth leadership in AMR advocacy. Each year, it gathers participants from over 180 countries and empowers young healthcare students to lead antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
The Global AMR Youth Summit 2024, held from 27th to 29th November 2024, attracted nearly 2,000 registrants, including student leaders, young health professionals, policymakers, and advocates. Featuring speakers from the World Health Organization (WHO), healthcare professionals, AMR survivors, and youth leaders, the event aligned with the WHO theme, “Educate. Advocate. Act now.” It raised awareness, highlighted innovative solutions, and called for stronger global commitments to combat AMR. By fostering interprofessional education and youth advocacy, the summit equips young people with the knowledge and platform to drive sustainable and effective action against AMR.
Impact on tackling AMR
1. Increasing awareness and outreach about AMR
– Highlighting the latest research, advocacy initiatives, and strategies through webinars and workshops to show what tackling the AMR can do to the participants. It helped the youth participants to help the people around them, from children, youth, adults, and key stakeholders.
– For the 2024 summit, we achieved 1,807 registrants with 38.4% from Medicine, 34.2% from Pharmacy, 7.6% from Agriculture, 8.7% from Veterinary, and 4.7% from Dentistry.
2. Strengthening the cross-sectoral partnership to promote One Health approach to combat AMR
– We were able to develop and conduct several panel and roundtable discussions with distinguished experts and speakers involved in AMR-related areas during the Global AMR Youth Summit 2024, which included:
— Plenary Session: AMR 101 – All about Antimicrobial Resistance, talking about Clinical Interventions for AMR, and AMR and Policy Development
— Roundtable Discussion: Patients and Community Engagement in Addressing AMR
— Panel Discussion: Interrelatedness of AMR, One Health, and Climate Change
— Plenary Session: AMR vs the World – Multi-stakeholder efforts to combat AMR, talking about AMR and Gender Inequality, and Youth-led Opportunities for AMR Prevention
– Through the conducted summit, students and leaders involved in youth-led AMR initiatives were able to converse with experts, highlighting the importance of meaningful youth engagement in addressing AMR.
3. Utilising diverse platforms to support youth engagement and participation
– On the second day of the summit, we had an interactive quiz session to get the participants engaged, named “One Health Expedition: AMR and Climate Intersections” allowing participants to apply their understanding of AMR across various fields to address interprofessional cases involving One Health and Climate Change.
– For future summits, we plan to conduct competitions to give a platform for youth to showcase their creation and knowledge to cater for vast passion, the competitions that Global AMR Youth Summit have made as follows:
— AMR Community Initiatives
— AMR Art Competition
— AMR Research Competition
Future Development
Launching new initiatives for events may seem straightforward, but ensuring they create a lasting impact is a significant challenge. The Global AMR Youth Summit aims to address this by evolving each year to maximize its effectiveness and influence. As an annual event, future summits will serve as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and advocacy, bringing together diverse expertise across sectors under the World Healthcare Students’ Alliance to achieve meaningful objectives and advance global health.
General Objectives:
- Sustaining the Core Event Structure: Continue the three-day virtual format featuring plenary sessions, panels, roundtable discussions, and incorporating more workshop sessions to provide hands-on experiences for participants.
- Fostering Innovation through Competitions: Introduce the Global AMR Creative Lab, a mock-hackathon for interprofessional students to collaborate and design creative solutions for AMR challenges. We shall partner with established hackathon organizations to guide participants in transforming ideas into actionable projects and initiatives (Face-to-face counterpart).
- Expanding Cross-Sector Campaigns: Develop the AMR Awareness Motion, a campaign fostering collaboration among youth-led organizations across sectors to create innovative educational programs and initiatives. We shall document and launch these efforts on various platforms, amplifying local and international movements under the One Health framework. It could be a local or international movement with inter-connection of different sectors resulting in one output of awareness motion and movement.
