She might only be 22, but Ruth Nabembezi has changed the face of Ugandan sexual history through her groundbreaking app service, Ask Without Shame.
After losing both of her parents to AIDS when she was just four, Nabembezi decided that she wanted to create an app to offer Ugandans a free and confidential line to ask burning questions about their sexual health.
And now, the app has set its sights on becoming the go-to sexual health service within East Africa.
To date, the app, which launched in December 2015, has responded to over 80,000 questions of over 50,000 users.
“It could be questions about HIV or other STDs, menstruation, masturbation… anything regarding sexuality,” explains Nabembezi to Broadly.
“Ask Without Shame gives people somebody to reach out to, and that gives them more life. You can get the information you need and nobody needs to know that you got in touch to share an issue.”
And while young adults get to choose whether they want to receive the advice over Whatsapp or via the phone, Ask Without Shame is not only an accessible service, but a life-saving one.
Presently, Uganda has the tenth highest HIV rate in the world, with 1,486,600 people living with the condition in the country.
And, in Uganda, HIV is a feminist issue: the prevalence of HIV in the country is more than 3% higher among women than men, according to research revealed by the government.
Health experts have attributed the disparity to the fact that Ugandan men tend to have more sexual partners, so a man with HIV would spread the infection to more people. Teenage girls and young women are also more likely to face discrimination when seeking preventative measures, such as asking for condoms.
Speaking about this, Nabembezi said: “We get men saying they are HIV positive but fear telling their girlfriend, who doesn't understand why he is insisting on using a condom.”
And as the app makes invaluable inroads into helping young Ugandans, the award-winning badassery of women like Nabembezi needs to be applauded.
Images: Ask Without Shame and iStock
undefined
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.