Joint UN Support to Develop Regional Capacity to Combat HIV/AIDS Among Adolescents – Swaziland

The project trained 78 nurses to facilitate youth-friendly approaches, condom distribution and syndromic management of STIs. It also trained high school guidance teachers in life skills education, especially sexuality, and conducted weekly counselling at schools.

The project activities are:

• prevention and mitigation services at community level
• parent and peer counselling
• professional counselling
• condom distribution through health centers

Development Issues
HIV/AIDS, Health, Youth

This Project is part of the Southern African Youth (SAY) Initiative. SAY is a sub-regional HIV and AIDS initiative through which the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the United Nations Fund for International Partnership (UNFIP) and UNAIDS seek to support and scale up HIV and AIDS interventions among the youth of southern Africa.

SAY comprises nine independent projects located in eight of southern Africa's most severely affected countries, as well as a sub-regional technical support project (Telling the Story). Through the work of UN country teams, SAY aims to catalyse innovative and expanded national responses to the HIV and AIDS epidemic to meet the needs of the youth in southern Africa, especially girls, who are most vulnerable to HIV infection.

The Swaziland project objectives are

• Strengthen the capacity of communities and organizations to provide effective prevention and mitigationservices
• Reduce the prevalence of STIs and the incidence of HIV and teenage pregnancy among youth under 24years
• Delay initial sexual activity by girls
• Increase the use of condoms among youth under 24 years
• Provide counselling and testing services in an accessible and confidential manner
• Provide mitigation services to people living with AIDS and orphans

Partners
UNF/UNAIDS