United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s Post

Truly honored to attend the Private Sector Engagement Forum on ending the Triple Threat among adolescents and Young People organised by Federation of Kenya Employers in collaboration with International Labour Organization and the @National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) formerly National Aids Control Council and the UNAIDS The heart rending data presented by @Caroline kinoti of NSDCC (Head of County Support) on the current HIV prevalence amongst the adolescents and young people between ages 15-24years was a great concern and a confirmation as to why multisectoral special focus need to be enhanced by all stakeholders to address the triple threats. We must end new HIV infections among adolescents and younger adults (15-29) who contributed to 61% of all adult new HIV infections in 2020. This is chilling... Pregnancies amongst adolescents needs to be contained. Just a simple survey between the month of January and October 2021, there were 274,510 adolescent (10-19 years) pregnancies recorded, of which 5.1% occurred among adolescents aged 10-14 years. To even imagine a 10-14 years child is pregnant is appalling (for lack of a better word). This is linked to the harsh fact that In approximately 54% of all sexual violence cases reported are among adolescent girls aged 12-17 years. Sad! Enhancement of the already in place interventions on the Triple Threats will go a long way in reducing the prevalence rates even further. It all starts with you and I doing something in our small ways within our organizations to empower our employees. This will create champions against triple threats. This may include, but not limited to formulating sexual rights, sexual harassment and whistle blowing policies, having employee sexual dialogues, engagement of our workplace communities and establishing child care CSR centers for young mothers who need to go back to school after child birth. Psk!..Do you know there is a Toll-free hotline to report Gender Based Violence nationally?...The Helpline is (1195). Now you know! #HIV #gbv #employeeengagement #communityengagement #peopleplatforms #childcareprograms #childcare #sexualharassment #sexeducation #HIVAIDS #advocacy #ppps #osha

Day Five of #NPHW is focused on reproductive and sexual health. Access to quality and appropriate reproductive and sexual health care is essential to leading a healthy life. Unfortunately, with over 500 bills being introduced in 2023 alone, these rights are under attack. How can you make a difference? 1. Get screened for cancers and tested for HIV/STIs. Did you know that CG Public Health has implemented an eXpress testing program for HIV/STI testing? This testing is for individuals deemed lower risk for testing positive for HIV/STIs. 2. Practice safe sex and reduce the risk of spreading STIs! 3. Donate menstrual products to local shelters and schools. Did you know that many students are experiencing period poverty? Meaning they do not have the funds to access necessary items for their monthly cycle. Often teachers are supporting this need with their own finances. Consider dropping off some period products at your local school or shelter! 4. Advocate! Become informed on the hundreds of bills that could be passed. Speak out and up! #NPHW2024 #PublicHealth #ReproductiveRights #ReproductiveandSexualHealth

Progress against the HIV epidemic is under threat in Uganda. Human rights, including access to stigma-free health care, is the ultimate key to ending AIDS. A recent article in the New York Times echoes what our LGBTIQ community partners in Uganda have been reporting. The impact of the Ugandan government’s unconscionable Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 is directly resulting in widespread human right abuses, rampant misinformation and fearmongering. Due to the real and immediate threat of violence and arrests, health care providers and clinics are not able to safely deliver essential HIV prevention and treatment services to LGBTIQ clients. The work of LGBTIQ-led, community-based organizations to find innovative and safe ways to reach LGBTIQ community members with health services is even more vital given these effects of the law. What can you do? Speak out against the rise of homophobia and transphobia in Uganda and everywhere you encounter it. To support the urgent efforts of SLF partners to meet the immediate needs of LGBTIQ community members under threat – food, medication, housing, legal defense – click here and select, LGBTIQ Emergency Fund ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g44Q_BEA. #LGBTIQ #Uganda #RepealAHA23

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. The brilliant Audre Lorde said those words and for this #internationalwomensday they feel more true than ever. Today for the "ABCs of women's health" I'm posting the usual with an extra assignment. 📄 When you're done reading this go over to the United Nations website and read the "Gender alert: The gendered impact of the crisis in Gaza" report. I will link it directly in the comments. Oftentimes we (myself included) in the US get caught up in a Western view of "women's issues" but the words of Audre should bring us all back to the reality and necessity of #collectiveliberation Remember to always: 🏷️ Tag a person or a company below that is furthering women's health! 🔔 Follow me for the rest of the alphabet and 🗣️ If you'd like certain topics covered for future letters let me know in the comments! Today is H 1. Hypo/hyperthyroidism: Women are 5-8x more likely to have thyroid disease than men. Many women and TGNC people experience medical gaslighting when presenting with thyroid symptoms which can sometimes be vague such as fatigue, weight changes, and irritability. 2. HIV/AIDS: Women are less likely to receive HIV prevention and treatment as compared to men. While women account for 1/4 of people living with HIV in the US, 3/4 of those women are Black and Latina. Black women have a new HIV infection rate 16x that of white women. Those experiencing poverty and those in the Southern U.S. are also at higher risk. Much of the existing HIV research in the U.S. has focused on men. -- #womenshealth  #healthequity #collectivecare #collectiveaction #healthcareonlinkedin #nursesonlinkedin  #mentalhealth #medicalgaslighting #globalhealth #audrelorde #thyroiddisease #hypothyroidism #hivaids

N’weti’s Annual Report 2023   N’weti’s Annual Report 2023 presents the main results achieved during the period, in line with its Strategic Plan 2021-2025. The context of N’weti’s intervention during 2023 was particularly characterized by severe climatic shocks, which conditioned the routes and reach of communities in remote locations, including access to health facilities that ensure the provision of health services. N’weti implemented its community health service provision interventions in all the country’s provinces and carried out interventions at central level focused on advocacy and public policy influence. Its target population consisted of children in early childhood, orphans and vulnerable children exposed to HIV, adolescent girls and young women, boys and men, women of reproductive age, pregnant and lactating women, people living with HIV and their sexual partners, champions of change, decision-makers, policy implementers and service providers. In 2023, N’weti reached a total of 1,192,000 direct beneficiaries, and covered 967 health facilities in 103 districts in 10 provinces of the country. Read more: https://bit.ly/3TYhwqD This document is only available in Portuguese.

South Africa remains haunted by gender-based violence and yet the shadows of unreported incidents loom large. Behind the statistics lie countless untold stories. But gender-based violence is not just a statistic, it's the reality for over half of South African Women and extends beyond the explicitly violent acts and includes a spectrum of behaviours that contribute to the perpetuation of a culture of discrimination and harm.    Did you know there is a significant association between HIV risk and higher levels of gender-based violence? In some regions women who have been physically or sexually abused are 50% more likely to acquire HIV. Let’s not forget how gender-based violence also increases the risk and incidence of sexually transmitted infections, forced or unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortions, maternal mortality, adverse pregnancy outcomes and malnutrition. It is also the insidious, normalized discrimination faced daily, especially by women and the LGBTI community. Let's break the chains of silence, challenge the norms, and demand accountability. Imagine a South Africa where everyone, regardless of gender, identity or sexual orientation, lives free from fear and violence. #BreakTheSilence #EndGBV #SpeakUp 

It is estimated that GBV costs South Africa between R28.4-billion and R42.4-billion per year, which is based on a 20% incidence rate. However, this is rate is grossly underestimated and the true cost of GBV and the physical and mental consequences this has on individuals cannot be quantified. The statistics and figures exclude the vast amount of incidents that go unreported, as well as the incident of violence that are not “overt”. "Overt incidents" refer to acts or occurrences of gender-based violence that are easily observable, explicit, or clearly evident. These are acts that are more readily recognized as violent or harmful, such as physical assault, sexual assault, or verbal abuse. On the other hand, "covert incidents" or forms of violence may be less visible or conspicuous, encompassing subtle forms of discrimination, emotional abuse, or societal norms that perpetuate inequality.

Welcome back to ✨ One to Watch Wednesday ✨ I’ve got 1 more installment for my month of focus on #globalhealth - in today’s #O2WW, we’re heading to Africa 🌍 The #femtech and #womenshealth industries are undoubtedly growing faster than ever, but market expansion is sequestered primarily in wealthy, industrialized nations. In its 2023 Femtech Landscape Report, FemHealth Insights identified fewer than 10 #startups in each African nation it evaluated. In contrast, the US was home to over 700 femtech companies. 🤯 This is why I’m particularly excited to highlight this week’s One to Watch: Nigerian #startup Whispa Health, founded by Morenike Fajemisin. 🇳🇬 Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation: with over 218 million inhabitants, it accounts for more than 15% of Africa’s total population. 🇳🇬 As of 2022, over 60% of the population was under the age of 25. 🇳🇬 The country is growing rapidly: the average Nigerian #woman gives birth 5 children. With a large population come complex population health problems. Whispa Health CEO, Morenike Fajemisin, saw an opportunity to address one such problem in an impactful way. Whispa focuses on sexual and #reproductivehealth for young Nigerians. Social structures and #gendernorms make frank discussions about #sexualhealth difficult in every country, and Nigeria is no exception. 👩🏾🤝👨🏿 Traditionally, Nigerian #womxn are expected to limit their sexual partners, while men are encouraged to enhance their social standing through extensive sexual experience (Adeyemi, 2011). 👩🏾🤝👩🏿 People often fail to seek treatment for sexually transmitted infections: in 2018, only 56% of female participants and 46% of males sought treatment for their #STI (Ebong & Makinde, 2021). 👬🏿 Many people with STIs don’t share their status with their sexual partners. Social stigmatization of STIs makes it particularly difficult for women to disclose an STI (Ebong & Makinde, 2021). Sound familiar? 🤔 While concerns about sexual health aren’t unique to Nigeria, Whispa’s solution for them is. With Whispa’s discreet, affordable #mobileapp, users can seek care for all manner of sexual health concerns, from STI testing and #cervicalcancer screening to hepatitis B #vaccination and #contraceptive selection. 🤳🏿 Users can book a #telehealth appointment with a Whispa Doctor or chat asynchronously with a clinician through the app. 📦 Whispa ships at-home STI test kits, emergency contraceptives, and sexual health supplies like condoms and lube directly to users’ homes. 👩🏾💻 Whispa’s educational materials help users learn about their sexual health in a private, stigma-free environment. By removing the barriers of shame and embarrassment surrounding sex, Whispa Health is poised to help a new generation of young Nigerians take better control of their health. I’m excited to watch the company grow and build a bright future for #African femtech! 👀 Whispa Health is One to Watch! 👀 https://whispahealth.com/

Data from UNAIDS reveals that in 2022 3,100 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 in sub-Saharan Africa were newly infected with HIV every week. This alarming figure highlights that adolescent girls and young women are in danger of being left behind in the fight to end HIV/AIDS by 2030. What's at the heart of this challenge? We know that myths and misinformation are putting young people's health and futures at risk. Young people receiving accurate sexual and reproductive health information from someone they trust is crucial. This is why the work of mothers2mothers Peer Mentors is so important. These Peer Mentors are not just health care workers; they are trusted advisors providing youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services to their peers, and sharing their own experiences to inspire change in their communities. For National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, we asked Winnie—a mothers2mothers Peer Mentor in Ghana—to bust some of the myths that she commonly hears from young people in her community. ➡️ Swipe to learn more. #NYHAAD #EndHIVStigma