LocationsEmpowering adolescent girls in HIV prevention and unwanted pregnancy in Kwanza Sul
October 20, 2023
Girls participate in a bench session to learn about health and well-being.
In all regions of the world, sexual education continues to be an important factor in people's health and well-being.
In this regard, women and girls regularly face greater risks and vulnerability to infection, barriers to information and health services. In many cases, the lack of sexual and reproductive education has been the main reason for early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among women and adolescent girls in the province of Kwanza Sul.
Cármen Domingos, a 19-year-old woman, discovered she was pregnant about five months ago. Surprised by the news of her pregnancy, Cármen regrets not having learned about sexuality earlier and says she intends to use her experience to prevent the same thing from happening to other girls.
‘I didn't know how to avoid pregnancy,’ Cármen laments. ‘But now that I'm going to have a baby, I want to learn more about how to care for a child and how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases so that other girls don't end up like me.’
Cármen lives with her parents in Sumbe, Kwanza Sul province, and dropped out of school three years ago. In 2022, she joined a group of girls participating in a community project to prevent HIV/AIDS among adolescent girls and young women, implemented in the provinces of Benguela and Cuanza Sul by People to People Development Aid (ADDP) with funding from the Global Fund through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Angola.
Cármen (second from left to right) with her family in Sumbe.
The community project for HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescent girls has been running since 2021 and aims to mobilise more than 60,000 girls and young women who are not in school to participate in bench sessions where they share lessons about sex, unwanted pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted diseases.
‘I have learned a lot alongside other girls in the bench sessions,’ says Cármen excitedly. ‘Before I joined the group, I didn't talk to anyone, but today I know how HIV is transmitted and how I should take care of myself so I don't get infected with this disease.’
In Cuanza Sul, about 300 women and girls participate in the bench awareness sessions. The girls enrolled in the project are organised into groups of approximately 25-30 girls, with one girl acting as group leader. Girls with quick learning skills and enthusiasm are trained to work as peer educators to identify and mobilise other girls who are outside the education system to participate in the bench project.
Ana Alexandre, 22, is one of the group leaders for the benches. She believes it is important to talk openly and teach girls about sex education so that they do not seek information in the wrong places and make mistakes.
Ana Alexandre shares her experiences during the bench session in Cuanza Sul.
“After I started participating in the bench sessions, I learned a lot. Today, I am no longer ashamed to talk about sexuality with anyone. Now, my little sister can come to me and ask me questions about her body and sexuality, and I answer her normally and clearly,” says Ana.
“Talking about sex is taboo in many girls’ homes, including mine.”
According to Ana, parents play an important role in their children's education. By providing accurate and appropriate information about sexuality and reproductive health within the family, many girls learn to take the necessary precautions to prevent unwanted pregnancies and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. However, Ana regrets that this is not the reality in many girls' homes, including her own family.
“I was very ashamed and didn’t talk about it with anyone. This subject has always been taboo at home because my parents think that talking about sex and pregnancy would be permitting me to have more than one boyfriend”Ana lamented.
Like Carmen and other girls in her group, Ana is outside the education system and admits to having made many mistakes due to a lack of knowledge that she is now receiving from the Global Fund project.
‘The fact that I didn't learn about sexuality at home led me to make several mistakes,’ she says. ‘There came a point when I could no longer socialise at school. Just hearing conversations about sex was enough to make me get up and isolate myself in my corner, and I didn't take the initiative to make friends with male classmates because I was ashamed.’
Ana Alexandre shares her experiences during the bench session in Cuanza Sul.
The community HIV prevention project, also known as ‘bancadas’, has helped girls aged between ten and 24 who are facing early pregnancy, such as Carmen, to learn how to deal with the different stages of pregnancy and to encourage other girls, such as Ana, who despite being out of school, still want to dream of a better future.