HIV Prevention current News 
 

Across sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately affected by HIV. While it is important to acknowledge the biological, social, cultural and economic factors that contribute to this, simplistic cultural and social framing will impede HIV prevention progress and feed into the infantilization and degradation of African people.

However, a 'single story' that portrays African women as helpless and disempowered and African men as virile and domineering persists, despite the research and on-the-ground knowledge showing women's leadership and wide variations in representations of femininity and masculinity across the 34 sub-Saharan nations. The researchers wanted to understand how girls, boys, women and men are portrayed in UNAIDS’ HIV-prevention guidelines. They reviewed UNAIDS’ guidelines published before 2019,  in English and focused on sub-Saharan Africa. They searched publications identified on the UNAIDS website as relating to ‘women and girls’ or ‘men and boys’. Read more on this article here.

The three-year, multi-country implementation study builds on decades of research related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention and is aimed at assessing the delivery of multiple PrEP methods to women in real-world settings in five African countries, including Zimbabwe. The study will deliver a choice among three PrEP methods — daily pills, a vaginal ring replaced monthly or a long-acting injection given every two months — to an estimated 11,000 participants without HIV across 28 public health service delivery sites supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Research (PEPFAR) in Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Read more on this here

The LGBTQ community in Kenya is facing the threat of a new law currently being drafted in the country. According to Reuters, two Kenyan legislators have expressed support for a draft bill called the “family protection bill.” It seeks to impose a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for engaging in homosexual acts. Read more on this developing story here

Advocates Spotlight 

WACI Health's youth leadership and advocacy program recently onboarded a new cohort of mentees. This program aims at creating a cadre of high quality and impact youth advocates. Our current cohort has 12 young people from 6 African countries who meet online twice a week for mentorship. The program involves regularly bringing in mentors and experts to speak on and share their experiences. Meet Gracious Lekgoathi who is an HIV prevention advocate based in South Africa.

Gracious is a social impact digital content creator and a soon to be civil engineer technology graduate. She is an energetic and highly motivated young woman who enjoys networking and establishing new relationships. She uses her passion for advocacy to train adolescent girls and young women to become an advocate for change through small actions. She is intrigued by the power of digital media. She uses that to create content that encourages AGYW, in all their diversity, to engage meaningfully to make informed decisions about their rights, health, and well-being.  

Youth Leadership and Advocacy Program: A Life-Changing Experience

The AFNHI mentorship program was a transformative experience for me. The program provided a unique platform for growth and learning, connecting me with inspiring mentors who made me acquainted with advocacy and my role as a youth towards advancing SRHR in my community. From the exhilarating discussions to the thought-provoking challenges, every moment was filled with inspiration and motivation. 

The AfNHi mentorship nurtured my skills in research and advocacy, broadened my perspectives, and ignited a passion within me to make a lasting impact on my country. More to that, I was able to create crossborder friendships with fellow mentees that I treasure to date.

Youthfully Yours,

Patrick Sseremba 

Sound bytes

Knowledge Waves 

Forty years ago, visionary activists developed the Denver Principles manifesto, which shaped the active involvement of people living with HIV in the AIDS response. This was a historic first step towards the Greater Involvement of People with HIV (GIPA) principle, which promotes the meaningful participation of people living with HIV in decision-making, not as passive subjects but as protagonists fully involved in the response to AIDS. Read more on this here.

The Selfcare symphony

“Self compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others” Christopher Germer

Upcoming Events

Uganda Solidarity Call every Friday 1pm SAST,/2pm EAT today.

Zoom meeting link :- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83650600962?pwd=dzdTQTBSaUNBSXh4RE1DM1pUYWc3UT09

Meeting ID: 836 5060 0962 and Passcode: 567845

AfNHi Regional Meeting July  27th 2023