HIV Services – Challenges for Young Women
The YEAH Project is aimed at equipping adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) affected by HIV/AIDS with entrepreneurship skills and access to HIV/SRHR information and access to services. While the project gives AGYW this access, what was it like for them before the project’s inception? What challenges did these AGYW face regarding access to HIV services? And how can we move forward to increase uptake of these services within the wider community? We spoke to beneficiaries of the YEAH Project to get their opinions and experiences before their involvement as peer educators with PHAU.
Challenges faced by AGYW
When we spoke to peer educators of the YEAH Project, they had a particular interest in sharing what challenges there are for AGYW in their communities. While the YEAH Project equips these young women with the tools they need to educate their communities, huge challenges still remain.
Primarily, our peer educators highlighted stigma and discrimination as the main challenges AGYW face. The uptake of HIV services by AGYW has been massively impacted by stigma. One of our peer educators noted that women wanting to access HIV services are oftentimes discouraged due to stigma. They develop an inferiority complex and avoid these services to evade those pointing fingers – “you’re HIV positive!”. By avoiding these services, young women put their health at risk. Furthermore, stigma and discrimination can cause a severe decline in young women’s mental health. Some young women even consider suicide as an escape from judgment.
Additionally, our peer educators cited misinformation and the lack of knowledge as key challenges faced by AGYW. One of our peer educators recalled an incident at a government health facility. Here, a young person was turned away from HIV services and told to return in a year. This act shows that even government-run facilities are spreading misinformation about HIV/AIDS and the course the infection will take. It is crucial for young people to know about the causes, development, and treatment of HIV so that we can control the spread. This is what the YEAH Project aims to do, send accurate information into communities and mobilise youth.
Encouraging the uptake of HIV services
Having peer educators at PHAU gives us the opportunity to listen to what communities need. This insight is especially useful in problem areas, such as the uptake of HIV services.
Our peer educators emphasised the need for confidentiality and privacy regarding HIV services. One suggested setting up corners in health facilities specifically for AGYW so that they can avoid the embarrassment of seeing someone they know. In their opinion, having these special private corners will help to increase the uptake of these services.
Additionally, peer educators were enthusiastic about local radios. Local radios are a great way to communicate with the public. In the words of one of our peer educators, “whether I want to hear it or not I will get that information”. So community members may be able to passively absorb information regarding HIV and available services through these local radios.
