Limiting the vulnerability of adolescents and young girls

To reduce the vulnerability of young people to HIV and AIDS, the 5% Initiative have funded projects that aim to put adolescents and girls at the center of care and support, namely by educating and sensitizing them on sexual and reproductive health.

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High prevalence of HIV among adolescents and young girls can be explained by the following factors:

  • Lack of knowledge about  the virus and its modes of transmission
  • Infrequent testing and lack of knowledge around prevention
  • Socio-cultural contexts where sexuality remains taboo
  • Significant gender inequalities
  • National care and support protocols, health services and care facilities that are not well adapted to young people

There is a need to change education pathways and training for health professionals so that adolescents and girls’ sexual health be integrated into prevention and care mechanisms.

INVOLVING YOUNG PEOPLE IN PREVENTION

A number of stakeholders working to combat HIV have put young people at the core of their prevention and awareness activities, especially by empowering them in their own care through an education by peers or peer education approach. This has been embedded in the JADES project - initiated and led by Solthis, an international solidarity NGO - which is funded by the 5% Initiative. Young people are trained to work on sexual and reproductive health issues and educate their peers at school and elsewhere. Discussions outside of the school environment are more conducive to information being retained.

 

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Our partners in Mali and Niger: Solthis JADES project - Raising awareness through peer education

In West and Central Africa, more than 100,000 young people are infected with HIV each year; two out of three of these new cases are young girls. Given the scale of the situation, the JADES project, led by the international solidarity NGO Solthis, focuses on raising awareness with and for young people.

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