ICWEA has launched the Young women LEARN (Lead, Evidence, Advocate, Research Network) research entitled ‘What PrEP means to Young women’ in three districts of Uganda namely Mityana, Mubende and Mukono. The research aims at exploring views and preferences of Adolescent Girls and Young Women about PrEP, in order to inform effective implementation and rollout, including assessing barriers and enablers. The research will be led by Adolescent girls and Young women with guidance from ICWEA.
PrEP is an anti-retroviral pill taken daily by HIV negative people to reduce their chances of HIV infection.
Studies have shown that PrEP is safe.
The research is being carried out under LEARN; LEARN is a young women-led mobilization, advocacy and research project, which aims to promote PrEP awareness amongst adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Uganda and Kenya and provide evidence to inform effective PrEP rollout for this population. It is a two year project implemented, using research, advocacy and young women’s leadership to ensure HIV prevention, including PrEP as responsive to the needs of Adolescent Girls and Young Women. Led by the ATHENA Initiative, in partnership with PIPE in Kenya and ICWEA in Uganda, LEARN is part of the DREAMS Innovation Challenge funded by PEPFAR and managed by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.
Overall, LEARN focuses on creating environments for adolescent’s girls’ young women to be informed about PrEP and how it relates to their lives.
In Kenya, the project is being implemented by PIPE in Nairobi and Homa bay
Why focus on Adolescent Girls and Young Women
- The project is inspired by the fact that Young people, and AGYW in particular, have been identified as a group at disproportionate risk of acquiring HIV. Despite only accounting for 11% of the global adult population. This gender imbalance is even more severe in high HIV prevalence geographical areas.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 80% of the world’s AGYW living with HIV. In 2014, PEPFAR set HIV prevention and treatment targets including reducing new infections among AGYW by 40% by the end of 2017. LEARN is part of the DREAMS partnership that seeks to achieve this goal by targeting the root causes of vulnerability among young women.
- Among a package of recommended interventions is pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
