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“The recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community is a matter of recognising that everyone has the right to have their human rights protected. May today ignite the visibility to assembling a new, better, diverse and inclusive world. May we see the LGBTQIA+ people as human as everyone else?” – Elidah Maita, Kenyan #WhatGirlsWant focal point The […]

Introduction  The 6th of February is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Approximately 200 million women and girls around the world have suffered the harmful practice while 3 million girls are at risk of FGM in the African continent. The situation in Africa is further exacerbated by the fact that female

Living in a patriarchal world with deep-rooted gender inequalities, girls and young women in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region face barriers to enjoying their sexual and reproductive health and rights, accessing quality healthcare, and remain vulnerable to HIV, sexually transmitted infections, unplanned and unsafe pregnancies. In a world where sex is weaponised, against girls,

The 26th of September was World Contraception Day. Each year on this day the aim is to raise awareness of all contraceptive methods available and to support adolescent girls, young women and gender-diverse people with the information that they need to practice their agency and make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health. When

ATHENA co-convened a fantastic Women’s Networking Zone at the first-ever AIDS2020 VIRTUAL Conference under the theme Celebrating Feminist Wins and Co-Creating New Feminist Futures.  Feminist activists and women in their diversity have been powering the Women’s Networking Zone since 2006, and we are proud to add WNZ2020 onto our dynamic, powerful and collective herstory. The WNZ at AIDS2020 Virtual

Written by Nyasha Museruka During this 16days of activism (25th November- 10th December) ,and throughout the 2019, I  have been reflecting on the abuse that women go through… I mean all women in their diversity!.  Why does violence against women and girls have to so normalized in society? I thought at some point that was

August 2019 Winnie Byanyima Executive Director United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland Dear Winnie, We are writing this letter to you in the spirit of sisterhood, affirmation, partnership and solidarity. As a network of more than 160 feminist partner organizations, practitioners, policymakers, individual feminist activists, experts and civil society members, we

‘Step It Up! Most left behind adolescent girls turning the tide on HIV and SRHR for all by 2030’  was an event co-hosted by UNAIDS and ATHENA Network with collaborating partners on 13th March 2019 during CSW.  ‘Step It Up!’ was a dynamic dialogue with experts from young people ́s movements and high-level decision-makers from government,

On International Human Rights Day, we are pleased to share the first in an occasional series of issue briefs, #WhatGirlsWant Issue 1: Meaningful participation and engagement. Launched on the 2017 International Day of the Girl, #WhatGirlsWant is a new development and expansion of the #WhatWomenWant campaign, creating space for girls and young women to lead,

Last month, ATHENA, PIPE, and ICWEA staff along with ten LEARN Ambassadors from Kenya and Uganda travelled to Nairobi to take part in a skills building workshop and LEARN project launch meeting. This is a pivotal moment in the global landscape when so much attention is focused on the needs, desires and preference of AGYW for HIV prevention. 

It is estimated that five million young people aged 15-24 and two million adolescents aged 10-19 are living with HIV. Yet young people most affected by HIV – including those living with HIV, young sex workers, young men who have sex with men, young transgender people, and young people who use drugs – typically are