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To address barriers to care for youth living with HIV (YLHIV), the Link Up project implemented a peer-led intervention model that provided a comprehensive package of HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights services through community-based peer support groups for YLHIV. Peer educators delivered targeted counseling and health education, and referred YLHIV to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and reproductive health services that were available at youth-oriented sexual and reproductive health and rights facilities.

At baseline (October to November 2014), 37 peer support groups for YLHIV were established in Luwero and Nakasongola districts. During this same time period, we recruited a cohort of 473 support group members, aged 15–24 years. After a 9-month intervention period (January to September 2015), we completed the end-line survey with 350 members of the original cohort …