Implementations of Support Programs that Promote Wellbeing in Youth, Caretakers and Families

Across the world, a majority of children and adolescents will experience some form of adversity (e.g., child abuse, neglect, loss of a parent, conflict, etc.) in their childhood, exposing them to risk for immediate and lifelong negative physical and mental health outcomes. Implementation of support programs to prevent and intervene with youth and their families are key strategies to reducing the impact of these adversities and optimizing children and adolescents’ wellbeing across their lifetime.

In this symposium, we will discuss current efforts in Kenya and Uganda that support youth and their families to optimize care and promote the wellbeing of children and adolescents. We will discuss the SafeCare Kenya project, a 10-year project that involved adapting an evidence-based parenting program to support families with young children. The goal of this program is to reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect, which promoting resiliency in children. A critical component of this project is the Stakeholder Task Force of diverse members from across Kenya and Africa who are integral to informing the decisions of the research and implementation team throughout the project. We will also discuss the TOPOWA project, a longitudinal, community-engaged study examining the social and environmental drivers of mental health among young women in Uganda. Drawing on multilevel data and lived experiences, the project identifies key stressors and protective factors shaping mental health in informal settlement contexts. Importantly, TOPOWA translates these findings into contextually relevant strategies, including community-based interventions and vocational training programs that aim to strengthen economic stability, reduce stressors, and support mothers, their families, and local service systems. These efforts provide critical insights into how integrated, community-informed approaches can be implemented to improve wellbeing in low-resource settings.

This symposium will also discuss the involvement of non-government organizations and how they work in local communities to support youth and optimize their wellbeing. Collectively, this symposium will highlight how evidence-informed and community-engaged approaches can be translated into practical strategies to strengthen support systems for youth and families in low-resource settings. By drawing on experiences from Kenya and Uganda, the session will illustrate how interventions can be adapted to local contexts, engage stakeholders across sectors, and address both individual and structural drivers of wellbeing.

The symposium will also offer insights into implementation challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities for scaling effective programs through partnerships with governments, community organizations, and service providers. These discussions aim to inform future efforts to design, implement, and sustain interventions that improve outcomes for youth, caretakers, and families.