Introduction

In Sub-Saharan Africa, there's a pressing HIV vulnerability challenge among Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) aged 15-24. To control the HIV epidemic effectively, we must reduce new infections within AGYW and marginalized communities. AGYW in the region faces significant vulnerability due to economic exclusion, limited access to education, abuse, exploitation, violence, and forced marriages. Urgent action is needed to prioritize tailored HIV prevention strategies for high-risk AGYW. Crucially, enhancing vulnerability and risk assessment is essential for identifying those at the greatest HIV risk and tailoring interventions to address AGYW's unique challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives

The link and learn sought to:

• Provide an overview of HIV and AGYW programming in Malawi, setting the stage for discussions
• Highlight key evidence that has informed the AGYW programme's development.
• Describe the Malawi National AGYW Screening Tool and explaining programme interventions, including the target population and desired outcomes.
• Highlight achievements, discuss challenges, and outline future steps for the programme's improvement and scale-up

 Proceedings

The meeting began with a warm welcome from Dr. Andrina Mwansambo of the Malawi National AIDS Commission (NAC), setting the stage for this important discussion on HIV prevention among Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in the region.

Jacob Phiri, representing the AGYW Secretariat, provided a comprehensive overview of the Malawi – -National AGYW Screening tool and AGYW referral form. He shared valuable insights into the programme's interventions, including details about the target population and key strategies.

Edwin Nkata, from World Vision Malawi, emphasized the multifaceted contributions of various stakeholders, highlighting their collective impact on the programme's achievements. Chrispine Chagwa, representing Pakachere, offered insights into the AGYW programme's accomplishments and challenges faced to date.

Hanna Unyolo, a Peer Ambassador, shared her powerful testimonial, providing a firsthand account of the transformative effects of the targeted interventions for AGYW. Tadala Chaponda, representing AGYW, provided unique insights into the programme's outreach efforts among vulnerable girls in Malawi, shedding light on future improvements and scalability.

Lastly, Country Champions reflected on the Link and Learn session, identifying key takeaways and areas for collaboration to strengthen the HIV response at the country level. Participating countries included Botswana, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Ghana.

Event resources

The recordings and presentation from this session can be accessed below!