Worldwide, few advocacy programmes focus on fulfilling SRHR for adolescents through self-care. You(th) Care will enable adolescents and youth aged 10-25 years, especially girls and other vulnerable adolescents, in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia to advocate for and practice self-care for their SRHR needs and to increase access to (digital) self-care services and commodities.
In East and Southern Africa, adolescents and young people (10-24 years) represent 33% of the population, which will likely double by 2050. Of the 12.1 million vulnerable adolescents’ girls aged 15-19 in sub-Saharan Africa, 62% have an unmet need for modern contraception. Between 28-41% of young women aged 20-24 give birth before the age of 18. AIDS is the leading cause of death among women, and 80% of new adolescent HIV infections are among girls aged 10-19 years. Adolescent girls, in particular, face HIV and STIs, unsafe abortions, risky pregnancies and gender-based violence. Archaic laws, policies and practices criminalise aspects of adolescent sexuality which undermines their access to HIV and SRH care.
As final beneficiaries, 325,000 adolescents and young people (10-25 years) in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia will benefit from improved laws and policies, expansion of available family planning, self-care, HIV prevention and treatment services and commodities, and the availability of innovative digital information services.
Self-care is important for adolescents and young people: it improves their agency over their own SRHR, particularly for those who are excluded or face challenges to access services through health providers (e.g. due to poverty, distance, lack of privacy and out of fear of stigma). Self-care is a sustainable and cost-effective approach to achieve universal coverage for SRHR, reduce unwanted teen pregnancies and adolescent birth rate, decrease adolescent HIV infections, increase adolescents living with HIV on treatment and realise a world without AIDS by 2030.
Developed under the You(th)Care programme, this toolkit is meant to increase young people's understanding of self-care and to equip self-care champions with resources and know-how to be super effective advocates.
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This policy report presents data and trends from research in five countries (Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) and gives policy recommendations to be considered by governments negotiating the outcomes of the 2023 High Level Meeting in New York to make significant progress towards realizing Universal Health Coverage for young people.
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In August 2022, Aidsfonds and You(th) Care partners commissioned the African Alliance to undertake a country-specific SRHR and HIV policy mapping and analysis in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. This process sought to provide the You(th) Care consortium with insights into each country’s policy environment, including the identification of barriers and opportunities. The policy analysis supports, You(th) Care in its work to promote and realise adolescent and young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, and related self-care needs.
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The African Alliance, funded by Aidsfonds, conducted a series of policy analyses for Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia to understand better why self-care is critical to improve the SRHR needs of adolescents and young people and achieve universal health coverage. The analyses assessed the policy landscape, lived experiences around UHC, SRHR and self-care; and the current limitations young people face in accessing the services they need.
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The African Alliance, funded by Aidsfonds, conducted a series of policy analyses for Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia to understand better why self-care is critical to improve the SRHR needs of adolescents and young people and achieve universal health coverage. The analyses assessed the policy landscape, lived experiences around UHC, SRHR and self-care; and the current limitations young people face in accessing the services they need.
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The African Alliance, funded by Aidsfonds, conducted a series of policy analyses for Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia to understand better why self-care is critical to improve the SRHR needs of adolescents and young people and achieve universal health coverage. The analyses assessed the policy landscape, lived experiences around UHC, SRHR and self-care; and the current limitations young people face in accessing the services they need.
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The African Alliance, funded by Aidsfonds, conducted a series of policy analyses for Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia to understand better why self-care is critical to improve the SRHR needs of adolescents and young people and achieve universal health coverage. The analyses assessed the policy landscape, lived experiences around UHC, SRHR and self-care; and the current limitations young people face in accessing the services they need. The analyses inform advocacy for governments to commit to scaling up self-care in the run-up to the UN High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in 2023.
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The African Alliance, funded by Aidsfonds, conducted a series of policy analyses for Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia to understand better why self-care is critical to improve the SRHR needs of adolescents and young people and achieve universal health coverage. The analyses assessed the policy landscape, lived experiences around UHC, SRHR and self-care; and the current limitations young people face in accessing the services they need.
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Aidsfonds is interested in working together to further strengthen community leadership, increase HIV prevention choices, and improve treatment outcomes and quality of life of people living with or exposed to HIV. We want to talk to anyone who shares our dream and wants to join us on a journey toward a world free of AIDS.
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