Adolescent Girls & Young Women

The project focusses on creating demand for health services for the community through increasing access to community HIV testing and counselling; expanding services for HIV prevention; providing community HIV care and support and strengthening community health systems. It targets Adolescent Girls and Young women (AGYW) aged 10-24 years in and out of school due to their vulnerability to HIV infections; the youth aged 15-24 years account for 46% of new HIV infections.

Approaches to maximize synergies and integration within the health system will be leveraged in the entire program delivery. They include strategies to increase and sustain knowledge of HIV status, address leaks in the retention cascade, strengthen linkages to reproductive health services, and improve capacity and linkages between community and facility level interventions. The interventions emphasize a strong community participation in the implementation of program. The key interventions will include;

APPROACH

Behavioral

Evidence Based Interventions to reach out to AGYW aged 10-24 yrs.

We are currently implementing:

1. Health Choice for a better future (HCBF) (10-12 yrs. AGYW). Key messages include abstinence to reduce age of sex debut.
2. My Health my Choice (MHMC) (13-17 yrs.). Key messages include abstinence and improving negotiations and refusal skills.
3. Shuga series (18-24). Key messages include reduction of sexual partners, being faithful and use of contraceptives.
4. Families matter program! II (FMP) (Parents and Care givers). Key messages include communication skills between parents and children.
5. Sister to Sister (S2S) (Sexually active AGYW 18-24 yrs.). Key messages include correct and consistent use of contraceptives and family planning.
6. Life Skills training (Peer Educators and Community Adherence Treatment Supporters)

Biomedical

We conduct community-based outreaches to AGYW for HIV prevention and risk reduction.

We are currently offering the following services:

1. HIV Testing and linkage
2. Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and HIV education
3. Promotion of Contraceptives use and Family planning services.
4. Cervical Cancer screening and referral
5. STI screening and treatment
6. TB screening and referral
7. Treatment of common ailment.
8. Immunization services.
9. Promotion of the use of PreP and PEP

Structural

We capacity strengthen community mobilization units and advocate for norm change.

Activities include:

1. Community mobilization for legal action against sexual offenders.
2. Legal aid clinics using pro-bono lawyers.
3. Economic empowerment through vocational skills.
4. Addressing intergenerational sex through targeted messages.
5. Promote HIV test clubs.
6. GBV prevention, screening and management.
7. Provision of dignity kits to most vulnerable AGYW
8. Know your rights campaign.
9. Mapping of OVCs and Support Groups of Children and Adolescents living with HIV.
10. Strengthening and supporting Children and Adolescents living with HIV at health facility levels. (Provision of meals, books, toys and facilitators).