MUST Peer Project (MPP) is an independent, pioneer and premier peer education project at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) focusing on “Youth sexuality, Life skills and Reproductive Health”.

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MUST Peer Project (MPP) works on a rationale of peer education- that peers are a more trusted and credible source of information, as they share similar experiences and social norms and are better placed to provide relevant, meaningful, explicit and honest information to fellow peers. Through this, MPP aims at providing an avenue that empowers students to work together and draw on the positive strength of the peer groups. Central to our work is the appropriate training and support collaboration.

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At the university where most students are above 18years of age and therefore considered adults, they are expected to be able to make personal decisions regarding issues affecting their lives. However, for most students, it is the first time they are on their own, free at last from the chains of “parental restrictions” or school limitations and influences in order to take a decision especially regarding their sexuality and life planning skills.

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Keeping in mind the nature of sexuality and related topics in the society they live in, most students join this ‘free world’ of university ill-prepared to handle such issues independently. It’s a first time encounter to unmanned freedom, a tough learning experience for many. Suffice to say, they engage in a learning process with a great deal of innocence; they are young naïve minds getting into a pool of vast ideas and experiences; all seemingly correct in their sense. Such learning processes if not well guided in the prime time of one’s youth and life time, spells disaster for one in their present and future as well.

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Health Information is considered one of the best vaccines to any medical condition. In an attempt to curb the scourge, in 2003, Anette Agardh, currently a Professor and Head of Department of Social Medicine and Global Health at Lund University, Sweden with support from various partners and the MUST students, she founded MUST Peer Project (MPP) a pioneer peer education project at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST).

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With a center focus on Life Skills, Reproductive Health and Sexuality among university students, and with an aim to promote responsible living amongst students through communication and development of life planning skills.

This was through making sexual reproductive health services easily accessible to students; creating an open and free student forum and platform for discussing sex life, relationships and life skills; availing contraceptives and related information to students on request.