October 3, 2024

Driving Action for Africa’s Youth: Addressing HIV, Adolescent Pregnancies, and Gender-Based Violence

October 3, 2024

Driving Action for Africa’s Youth: Addressing HIV, Adolescent Pregnancies, and Gender-Based Violence

I was honoured to deliver the opening keynote virtually at the Africa REACH Friends and Partners Group Breakfast Side Event during The International Workshop on Adolescence, SRHR, & HIV 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya this week, within my capacity as an Africa REACH Inaugural Leadership Council member, and under this years theme of “Building a Brighter Future: Staying Ahead of the Evolving HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Landscape.”

Addressing the critical theme of “The Triple Threat: HIV, Adolescent Pregnancies, and Gender-Based Violence in High Burden HIV Countries,” Africa REACH Leadership Council Members and allies hosted this critical breakfast side event in collaboration with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Through my keynote, I highlighted the urgent need for collective action, advanced by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, as the solutions are clear: comprehensive sexuality education, youth-friendly health services, community engagement, economic empowerment for young women, and stronger legal frameworks to protect against violence, can unlock the full potential of Africa’s youth and create a future where they are empowered, healthy, and safe.

I look forward to the continued collaboration and action generated from this important dialogue.

Africa Reaching the End of AIDS in Children and Young People in Africa by 2025 (Africa REACH) is an African-led, African-focused initiative founded in 2022 that envisions an Africa where children and young people are free from AIDS. Chaired by my dear friend and sister, H.E. MonicaGeingos, Africa REACH works towards an AIDS-Free Generation of African Youth, in support of AfricanUnion objectives.

 

 

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