Our Goal

DEKEP’s main gaol is to promote and protect women’s rights. DEKEP brings together Women activists whose main mandate is to defend the rights of women. DEKEP works with lesbians, women who inject drugs, women in prisons and other closed settings, female sex workers and transwomen.

Women in our network face a range of gender specific barriers to accessing HIV services including stigma, discrimination, gender-based violence and lack of gender-responsive services. DEKEP is working to address these barriers.

Our Members

Members of DEKEP are advocates, organizations and networks working to protect the human rights, health and dignity of groups most vulnerable to HIV, stigma, and social exclusion. These key populations commonly include men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender individuals, sex workers, people who inject drugs (PWID), and people in prisons.

Our Partnerships

DEKEP works with a wide range of partners to advance health, human rights, and socio-economic justice for key populations in Uganda. Our network includes government bodies, UN agencies, international donors, and local community-based organizations.

Scope of Partnerships

These partnerships focus on ensuring access to HIV services, protecting human rights, and reducing stigma and discrimination against key populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons, people who inject drugs, and fishing communities.

Our Core values

• Honoring Diversity and Inclusion: Celebrating and valuing all individuals in their diversity and recognizing that understanding this diversity leads to more effective actions.
• Empowerment: Believing in human dignity, agency, and autonomy, and working to empower key populations to take control of their lives and claim their rights.
• Accountability: Maintaining accountability to their membership, partners, and the KP communities they represent.
• Participation of Key Populations: Valuing and ensuring the active, informed, and voluntary participation of KPs in decision-making processes, placing them at the center of all initiatives.
• Professionalism and Excellence: Committing to high standards and excellence in the delivery of promised advocacy and services.
• Respect for Human Rights & Social Justice: Focusing on health rights, human rights, social justice, safety, and security for marginalized groups.

Peer-Led and Community-Based Services

1. Peer Education and Outreach: Peer educators are recruited to deliver targeted information, distribute condoms/lubricants, and provide testing services, as they are seen as less judgmental and more trustworthy.
2. Drop-in Centres (DICs): These offer safe spaces for key populations to access care without facing discrimination, often providing specialized, integrated, and confidential services.
3. Peer Navigators: Peers guide individuals through the healthcare system, bridging online information with offline action, such as accessing treatment.
4. Task Shifting: Training lay providers and peers to conduct HIV testing and distribute antiretroviral therapy (ART) to increase efficiency and reach.

Tailored Biomedical Prevention and Treatment

1. Combination Prevention Approaches: A mix of HIV prevention methods, including condom distribution, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and needle exchange programs.
2. Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD): Adapting ART delivery to individual needs (e.g., community-based, multi-month dispensing) to reduce the burden on health systems and improve retention.
3. Digital and Self-Testing Tools: Using HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits, web-based apps, and remote counselling to increase privacy and accessibility.
4. Harm Reduction: Offering opioid agonist therapy (methadone/buprenorphine) and needle exchange programs for people who inject drugs.

Structural and Policy Advocacy

a). Legal and Human Rights Defense: Advocacy for the decriminalization of key population activities and the removal of punitive laws that drive people away from services.
b). Stigma and Discrimination Reduction: Training healthcare providers on ethics, human rights, and creating friendly, non-judgmental environments in public facilities.
c). Violence Mitigation: Implementing programs that address the high levels of physical, emotional, and sexual violence faced by key populations.
d). Social Contracting: Working with governments and global funds to ensure sustainable financing for community-led organizations.

Data-Driven Advocacy and Monitoring

a). Biobehavioral Surveillance (BBS): Conducting specialized surveys and mapping to estimate the size of key population groups and understand their HIV burden.
b). Community-Led Monitoring (CLM): Utilizing data collected by community organizations to hold governments accountable and track the quality of health services.
c). Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS): A peer-driven recruitment strategy used to track and access hidden populations.

Health Access

Health access for defenders of key populations—individuals who advocate for, support, and work with groups highly vulnerable to HIV, including LGBTQI individuals, sex workers, and people who use drugs—is critical, particularly in Uganda where these activities are criminalized. Ensuring their health access involves...

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Wellness

Defenders of Key Populations (DEKEP)—including LGBTQ+ individuals, sex workers, and people who inject drugs—operate in high-stress, hostile environments, necessitating proactive, tailored wellness programs. Holistic care focusing on physical, mental and digital safety reduces burnout and trauma, empowering them to continue crucial...

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Legal Advocacy

Legal advocacy focuses on overturning punitive laws, mitigating HIV-related stigma, and securing access to justice in restrictive environments. DEKEP use strategies like strategic litigation, "street lawyer" projects, and rights-based training to challenge discrimination and protect marginalized communities...

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