By Enalla Mnyenyembe
Mzuzu, Mana: Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Global Y+) is set to implement the Resilient and Empowered Adolescent and Young People (READY+) project in Rumphi and Karonga districts.
In an interview with Director of Programme, Management and Governance for Global Y+, Tinashe Rufurwadzo said the project was to target young people living with HIV through advocacy to ensure that there was change in the challenges they encounter.
“This project is aimed at ensuring that young people living with HIV are able to hold decision makers to the problems they face such as access to sexual reproductive health rights, human rights, access to medication and also how the government can support its young people to improve their quality of life,” he said.
Rufurwadzo added to say the project would help in assisting young people living with HIV to have access to information regarding HIV and AIDS.
“Through this project, we hope to see change in the gap that there is much attention given to young people to know the challenges they face and that government does invest in youths living with HIV by giving them a platform and initiatives to help Malawi as a country achieve the global AIDS goals,” he explained.
Head of Programme Planning and Implementation for National Association of Young People Living with HIV (Malawi Y+), David Bondera said the project would help assist in ending some of the challenges that young people living with HIV face.
“Young people living with HIV in Malawi face a number of challenges like stigmatization, disclosure of their status as well as having a favorable health service delivery and this project will surely empower the youths to have a platform to work on such challenges,” he said.
Bondera said throughout the project they anticipate the gap that was there due to the challenge’s youth face to shorten.
Karonga District Director of Health and Social Services (DHSS), David Sibale said since the youth comprise a majority of the population hence, they need to be taken care of in this era of HIV as they are the future of the country.
“This project will help to assist the impact of HIV and AIDS among the youth in the districts it will be operating as it seeks to combat challenges such youths are troubled with,” he said.
Sibale added that the project would be very beneficial to youths in Karonga as they would be able to voice the challenges they face like lack of infrastructure where they could be meeting as well as monitor the flow of resources that reach their district to see that they are being directed towards addressing issues of youth.
The READY+ project will be implemented for a period of five years starting from 2021 and to end in 2026 with donor grant of K81 million from Government of Netherlands and it will be implemented in Malawi, Angola and Zambia.