BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – Last Friday saw the launch of a new award by The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to Young Heroes.
The program, ‘Sabelo Sensha’, will see the organisation scaling up services to many communities across Eswatini ,and engage key line ministries like the The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Education to strengthen their systems for the response to HIV and violence against children response.
Delivering his remarks, Chargé d’ affaires Earl Miller said : “We need our schools to educate our children on sexual health and on gender-based violence. Health services should be accessible and youth friendly, and all health facilities should provide a choice of convenient, easy to use, family planning commodities, as well as PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis). And above all, we need meaningful economic opportunities for young women,”
In addition he said, this includes internships, financial and business training, bursaries, and more.
Miller also mentioned that they will continue to look for opportunities to partner with the private sector, and appeal to young people and adolescents to lift their voices to advocate for their needs and rights, and to help shape the new heroic program.
“This new cooperative agreement is a meaningful milestone for USAID as it marks the full transition of its OVC and DREAMS portfolio to local partners. The U.S. Government remains committed to supporting the Kingdom of Eswatini to sustain the gains it has made in controlling the HIV epidemic, and to turn the tide for people who are still at the greatest risk,”
“ Girls and young women across this beautiful country still bear the brunt of new HIV infections. Teenage girls still fall pregnant long before they are ready to be mothers. Young women still feel economic pressures that lead to risky relationships,” he said.
