GUINEACAPACITY BUILDINGCommunity mobilisation and health promotionSTRENGTHENING SYSTEMS AND HEALTH SERVICESFighting HIV / AIDS
Reducing new HIV infections, unwanted pregnancies and sexual violence among adolescents in Guinea
Watch the video of presentation (in french) down below :
Context
In the Republic of Guinea, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is 1.4%, which represents approximately 120,000 people living with HIV (PLHIV). This prevalence is higher among women (2.1%) than among men (1.2%), and in urban areas (2.7%) than in rural areas (1.2%). Among young people aged 15 to 24, the percentage of young people with knowledge of HIV prevention is low, especially among young girls (only 15.2% of young girls have knowledge of HIV prevention, compared to 33.8% of young boys), even though adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 in sub-Saharan Africa account for 2/3 of new HIV infections.
Furthermore, young women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services remains limited due to barriers such as early marriage, low socio-economic status, low levels of education and literacy, and poor access to health care.
Nearly one third of adolescent girls aged 15-19 have already started their reproductive life, one in five women were married or in union before the age of 15, and more than one in two were married or in union before the age of 18. Family planning is still low, with only 7.8% use of modern contraception among the general population and 28% of unmet needs. The prevalence of female genital mutilation is close to 97% among women aged 15-49. More widely, 92% of women aged 15-49 are victims of violence.
Key Information
| Duration | 3 years (2021 – 2024) |
| Partners | PNLSH – Guinea’s National HIV and Hepatitis Programme
COSC-PF – Coalition of Guinean civil society organisations involved in repositioning family planning Ablogui – Guinean Bloggers Association |
| Beneficiaries | Members of the Ablogui and Coalition networks, young people aged 15 to 24 |
| Source of funding | L’Initiative (Expertise France) |
| Country | Guinea |
General Objective
To contribute to the reduction of new HIV infections, unwanted pregnancies and sexual violence among adolescents.
The PAJES project (”Pouvoir d’agir des Associations et des Jeunes Engagé-e-s pour la Santé sexuelle” in French, or Power of Action of Associations and Young People Committed to Sexual Health) aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people in Guinea, particularly young girls, through the implementation of an innovative strategy of empowerment of members of two civil society networks, in order to increase the impact of their actions in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights.
Expected Results
The abilities of partner organisations are strengthened and their expertise is enhanced in terms of training, facilitation and advocacy for young people’s sexual and reproductive health rights
- Participatory diagnosis of the needs of partner organisations
- Strengthening the organisational and technical skills of partners
- Support partners in building the skills of their networks’ members
Partner organisations and their members implement sexual and reproductive health rights promotion and advocacy activities in a participatory manner
- Deployment of information and awareness-raising activities on the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people
- Deployment of advocacy for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights for young people through a participatory approach based on young people’s priorities, and more specifically on unwanted pregnancies and gender-based violence
Learn more about our other projects promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights:
JADES: Healthy Youth and Adolescents – Niger
SANSAS: Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Youth in Senegal
