'Own, Scale up and Sustain’- World YWCA Engaging at ICASA
December 4th marked the official opening of the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA 2011) in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The five-day conference under the theme ‘Own, Scale-up and Sustain’ expects to actively engage participants through high-level plenary sessions, satellite sessions, skills building, a poster exhibition and various side events. The World YWCA is participating in ICASA with a delegation of 15 women, including 12 young women, from eight YWCAs in Africa, led by Hendrica Okondo and Mandy Nogarede from the World YWCA and the General Secretary of YWCA of Ethiopia, Saba Haile.
Responding to HIV infection rates among young women and promoting broader sexual and reproductive rights is an important focus for World YWCA engagement at ICASA. Recent evidence suggests that young women make up 61% of all new infections among young people aged 15-24 years. Strengthening young women's leadership on sexual and reproductive rights and HIV is priority for the World YWCA's Global Strategy on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and HIV 2008-2012. As part of this, the World YWCA is leading a multi-country programme, supported by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, to enable young African women to champion the SRHR and HIV agenda in partnership with YWCAs in Angola, Benin, Ethiopia Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia. The programme is focused on improving access to sexual and reproductive health information and services among young women in the target countries. This approach echoes the theme of ICASA to ‘Own, Scale-up and Sustain’.
The World YWCA organised a pre-ICASA training for young women from the eight countries focused on strengthening leadership, advocacy and best practice sharing. This provided space to review progress in implementing SRHR programmes in communities and successful outreach strategies to vulnerable groups of young women, including the engagement of young women living with HIV in advocating for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services. Participants were also trained in the human rights based approach and had the opportunity to participate in training sessions on leadership and advocacy, and a presentation on UN Women. This also gave an opportunity to dialogue with partners on advocacy for integrated SRHR and HIV, ensuring safe spaces for women living with HIV, and training in public speaking as an essential advocacy tool. Blogging from ICASA 2011, Marta from the YWCA of Angola shared her first impressions: “It is amazing to see so many young African women excited and passionate about pushing for change at the government level. Only by working together will we make a difference.”
During ICASA 2011, the World YWCA delegation is participating in relevant workshops in the Community Programme theme, bringing their direct experience of working with young women at the village and community level. The delegation is also part of the Women’s Networking Zone, convened by ATHENA Network and the National Network of Positive Women Ethiopians. The Zone aims to provide a space for women to platform key issues affecting women and girls in the context of HIV and to showcase women’s leadership, particularly the leadership of HIV-positive women and young women, in response to these challenges.
ICASA 2011 takes place at a pivotal time - thirty years since the first case of AIDS was detected; ten years since the landmark UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS, where world leaders declared AIDS as a “global emergency” and called for an “urgent, coordinated and sustained response” to the epidemic; and ten years since the Abuja Declaration on HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and other Infectious Diseases. YWCAs have maintained a sustained response on HIV for over two decades, particularly in the most affected communities. For the World YWCA, HIV remains an important global priority in the context of our advocacy for the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls.
