Ministry of Youth and Sports Expresses Gratitude to World Vision Malawi
The project, which is three years old, aims to reach 380,000 individuals, and in the past six months alone, it has reached over 260,000 girls.
SALIMA, Malawi - The Ministry of Youth and Sports has expressed gratitude to World Vision Malawi and other development partners for their efforts in addressing the high prevalence of HIV among adolescents and young women in the country, writes Judgement Katika.
Uchizi Mkandawire, MP, Minister of Youth and Sports, officially opened the second learning event for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) peer educators on Wednesday at Kambiri Beach Resort in Salima.
In his speech, Minister Mkandawire acknowledged the challenges faced by the youth, including HIV/AIDS and unemployment, and commended World Vision Malawi for their initiative in training AGYW as peer educators in various districts.
"We are implementing national youth service in all districts to reach out to youths, but we are here to support the initiatives of our development partners so that together we should reach all the youths in the country," said Minister Mkandawire.
Mr. Francis Duwe, National Director of World Vision Malawi, expressed concern over the rising numbers of young people living with HIV in the country.
He emphasized the need to empower them with knowledge and awareness to avoid behaviours that contribute to the spread of HIV.
"The HIV problem in Malawi is very big, with statistics showing that 9 out of 100 people live with HIV, with the highest number being females. We are empowering young people to make a living and be independent to prevent them from engaging in behaviours that expose them to more HIV infections," Duwe said.
Hannah Unyolo, a 22-year-old peer educator from Mulanje, expressed her gratitude for the training, stating that it will help her discover her potential and work with the right partners in dealing with HIV.
"Most girls come from poor families and engage in practices that expose them to HIV in order to meet their basic needs. This training will address the lack of knowledge and awareness about HIV," she said.
The three-day event, which started on Wednesday, September 27th, and will run until Friday, September 29th, has brought together adolescent girls and young women from high-burden districts of Mangochi, Lilongwe peri-urban, Mulanje, and Thyolo.
The project, which is three years old, aims to reach 380,000 individuals, and in the past six months alone, it has reached over 260,000 girls.
World Vision Malawi also plans to develop initiatives for boys in the future.