The PEERSS PROJECT

PEERSS (Partnerships for Evidence and Equity in Responsive Social Systems) was our entry into a global alliance. While our other work focused on building ACRES from the inside or changing Ugandan culture, PEERSS connected us to 12 country teams and learning hubs worldwide. This gave us a seat at a global table where we could test new ideas in social policy, learn from the world’s best, and share what we’ve learned in Uganda with a global audience.

Under PEERSS, ACRES became a laboratory for how evidence actually reaches people. We realized that if our research only lives in long, text-heavy reports, we are leaving out a huge part of the population. We pioneered Pictorial Briefs, using visuals to explain complex evidence to citizens who may not be able to read or write. This created a breakthrough in accuracy. By making evidence visual, we were able to hold Citizen Panels with informal sector workers, ensuring their lived experiences directly influenced national policies on breastfeeding and labour rights.

Changing the system from within

A major win for PEERSS was our work with the Education Sector. We joined the committee developing the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the sector. We moved the conversation from brainstorming ideas to looking at evidence. We embedded in this core government process and changed the way policies in the education sector are formulated for the future.

Empowering new voices

We know that ACRES cannot be everywhere at once. To ensure that evidence is used across the country, we trained 15 Youth-Focused Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in evidence-informed advocacy and created a support platform to help them keep using research in their daily work. With this, we built a pipeline of credible, informed advocates who can hold the government accountable using facts.

Lessons from the field

Our time with the PEERSS coalition taught us several hard truths about how change happens:

• Our work with pictorial briefs taught us that the most valuable information often comes from people who cannot read our reports. When we include the voices of marginalized workers, the evidence becomes more accurate and the resulting policies become more practical.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided rapid evidence on school reopenings. Because we were ready with the facts when the pressure was high, we built a level of trust with the Ministry of Education & Sports that would have otherwise taken years to establish.
• We learned that evidence is only one part of the puzzle. By mapping the ecosystem of policies like the National Sexuality Education Framework, we learned to navigate the political and social interests that often block progress.

PEERSS left ACRES as a more inclusive, globally connected institution. The tools we piloted; from ecosystem mapping to visual evidence, are now a permanent part of our toolkit. We refined a model for inclusive, evidence-informed governance that we now share with partners across the region.