Adolescent girls and young women

young woman in blue shirt holding her thumbs up

Women are disproportionally affected by HIV. As a result, AIDS remains the number one death cause for young women worldwide and the number of news HIV infections among young women is on the rise. Main drivers for increased levels of contracting HIV is poverty, lack of opportunities to education and gender inequality. Gender norms limit women’s decision-making authority and control over their bodies, therefore diminishing their capacity to protect their sexual health and limiting their access to services and treatment.

Ending AIDS by 2030 means that we need to put adolescent girls and young women at the centre of the response.

20.2

million girls & women are living with HIV globally

4000

adolescent girls & young women (aged 15-24 years) infected by HIV weekly

46 %

of all new HIV infections were among women & girls globally in 2022

"Speaking to my fellow young mother, I'm not talking on behalf of someone"

Check out our projects with adolescent girls and young women

Illustration of a man in glasses and a blue shirt.
project

Tanya Marlo Indonesia – Stepped Care Model

Tanya Marlo Indonesia – Stepped Care Model

Tanya Marlo (‘Ask Marlo’) works to reach young people with quality HIV information and guides them to tailored advice and services, such as HIV self-testing and PrEP.

Communities
  • LGBTIQ+ people,
  • People living with HIV,
  • Young people,
Read more about Tanya Marlo Indonesia – Stepped Care Model
project

EmpoweRing: Prevention by Choice

EmpoweRing: Prevention by Choice

Through the EmpoweRing project we advocate for accelerated approval and uptake of the Dapivirine vaginal ring as an HIV prevention tool for women and girls in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. The Dapivirine ring is the first discreet, women-controlled, long-acting HIV prevention product. The project will be implemented by International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) and partners using the Youth Advocates model. This model seeks to empower and build resilience among adolescent girls and young women in addressing HIV needs.

Communities
  • Adolescent girls and young women,
Read more about EmpoweRing: Prevention by Choice
project

Lafiyan Yara

Lafiyan Yara

The Lafiyan Yara project is a community-based response to paediatric HIV in Nigeria. Run by Society for Family Health, it aimed to increase uptake of HIV services among children aged 0-14 years and to reduce mother-to-child transmission. The project worked with traditional birth attendants, village health workers and patent and proprietary medicine vendors, who worked to eliminate vertical transmission and identify children living with HIV as early as possible so they can be linked to care and supported to live healthy lives. Lafiyan Yara was implemented between  2019-2022 in eight local government authorities in Taraba state with support from Aidsfonds. In Hausa language Lafiyan Yara means 'well-being of children'. The Lafiyan Yara project is built on the Kids to Care model, using the four stages of find, test, treat and stay, where early detection of HIV can reduce infant, child and maternal mortality. To facilitate early detection of HIV, community-level mobilisers for health are engaged to conduct effective case identification and linkage to care.

Communities
  • Children,
Read more about Lafiyan Yara
project

Kusingata

Kusingata

Kusingata means ‘support’ or ‘warmth’ in local language, referring to a support approach to families and children living with or affected by HIV. It is rooted in traditional systems of the communities in Inhambane. The programme makes use of these community structures for referrals to testing and treatment; individual support through home visits; support groups and community dialogues. Implementation of a community scorecard, a social accountability tool at health facility level, quality of HIV services have been improved from a user-perspective. To assure intrinsic motivation of clients, field staff and health care providers have received training on motivational interviewing. The Lafiyan Yara project is built on the Kids to Care model, using the four stages of find, test, treat and stay, where early detection of HIV can reduce infant, child and maternal mortality. To facilitate early detection of HIV, community-level mobilisers for health are engaged to conduct effective case identification and linkage to care.

Communities
  • Children,
Read more about Kusingata
project

Paediatric HIV Breakthrough Partnership

Paediatric HIV Breakthrough Partnership

The Breakthrough Partnership is a commitment to end paediatric HIV in regions most urgent.

Communities
  • Adolescent girls and young women,
  • Children,
Read more about Paediatric HIV Breakthrough Partnership
Female holding a baby outdoors near a building.
project

BLOOM project

BLOOM project

The aim of the project is a healthy life for children and their mothers (10-24) living with or exposed to HIV.

Communities
  • Adolescent girls and young women,
  • Children,
Read more about BLOOM project
project

Emergency support fund for Ukraine and CEECA region

Emergency support fund for Ukraine and CEECA region

The Emergency Fund provides uninterrupted services and safety for people living with and vulnerable to HIV in times of war and disruption in Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) region, including Ukraine. The region has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. The Fund focuses on the urgent unmet needs of key populations, builds the capacity and sustainability of the community systems response, and addresses the scarcity and fragmentation of international funding for key populations. It provides small, middle and larger grants to local community-led and community-based organisations, who provide low-threshold, fast-paced, client-oriented aid to the people around them. Cooperation is at the core of our work: Aidsfonds has formed a partnership with Eurasion Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM) and Alliance for Public Health (APH) on the establishment of this Emergency Fund.

Communities
  • Children,
  • LGBTIQ+ people,
  • People living with HIV,
  • People who use drugs,
  • Sex workers,
  • Young people,
Read more about Emergency support fund for Ukraine and CEECA region
project

Vibrações – Stepped Care Model

Vibrações – Stepped Care Model

As a nationwide youth brand, Vibrações aims to enhance Mozambican young people’s sexual health and reproductive rights by addressing their different needs in a youth-friendly way.

Communities
  • LGBTIQ+ people,
  • People living with HIV,
  • Young people,
Read more about Vibrações – Stepped Care Model
project

Private: Key populations in Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Private: Key populations in Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Through the participatory grantmaking model, we provide funding and structural support, including capacity strengthening, support in advocacy and coalition building, to key population-and/or key population-based organisations in the region.

Communities
  • Children,
  • LGBTIQ+ people,
  • People living with HIV,
  • People who use drugs,
  • Sex workers,
  • Young people,
Read more about Private: Key populations in Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia