By Anan Geolengs
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has called for the adoption of its Girls Act model as a strategy to reduce HIV infections among young women.
The Advocacy and Marketing Manager of AHF Nigeria, Steve Aborisade, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja as part of activities to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child.
AHF said significant progress had been made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, but stressed that much of the remaining work must focus on young people, particularly young women.
It said women and adolescent girls bear a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic compared with men and boys, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to UNAIDS, women account for more than 50 per cent of people living with HIV globally and approximately 60 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.
The organisation said adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 are up to two to three times more likely to acquire HIV than their male counterparts in the same age group.
It added that women face approximately twice the risk of acquiring HIV per unprotected heterosexual sexual encounter because of biological factors, including a larger mucosal surface area and prolonged exposure to seminal fluids.
AHF noted that many people living with HIV remain unaware of their status, adding that concerted efforts are still needed to improve young people’s knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention.
It said adolescents aged 10 to 19 face distinct physiological, psychological, legal and social challenges that make them disproportionately vulnerable to low uptake of HIV testing, citing UNICEF.
According to the organisation, patriarchal structures place additional burdens on women and girls. Combined with poverty and limited access to information, these challenges restrict their choices long before they can make decisions about their own lives.
“A girl who cannot afford menstrual products, who has dropped out of school, or who depends on others for money has fewer options, including options about sex. HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) thrive in exactly those conditions,” it said.
AHF said this understanding informed the development of Girls Act, a global, girl-led programme built on the principle of “For Girls, By Girls”.
The organisation said the programme began in 2016 in five countries to address high HIV infection rates among girls and young women. It has since expanded to nearly 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
It explained that the programme initially focused on adolescent girls living with HIV but later expanded to include other girls and boys, regardless of their HIV status.
AHF said the programme aims to prevent HIV and STI transmission, support girls living with HIV to remain on treatment, reduce unplanned pregnancies and ensure that girls stay in school.
“As of 2026, the programme counted more than 4,500 girls in active engagement and had distributed over one million sanitary pads,” it said.
According to AHF, Girls Act operates across four interconnected areas: health, education and livelihoods, leadership, and results.
On health, the organisation said girls living with HIV receive support to remain on treatment, while those who are HIV-negative learn how to prevent infection and make informed decisions.
It said the provision of free menstrual health products, including to surrounding communities, addresses a basic need that deprives many girls of their dignity and keeps them out of classrooms.
The programme also teaches girls how to make and care for reusable sanitary pads, ensuring that access to menstrual products does not depend solely on external supplies, it added.
On education and livelihoods, AHF said the programme recognises that not every girl is in school and does not exclude those who are out of school.
It said girls who wish to return to school are supported to do so, while those who are not in school receive life-skills training and assistance to establish businesses.
According to the organisation, Girls Act members in Abuja and Benue have received training in tie-dye production, bead-making, tote-bag production and snack-making, including the preparation of chin-chin, doughnuts and egg rolls.
“These are modest trades with steady demand, and they give young women something precious: their own income. Financial independence is among the strongest protections against the poverty that exposes girls to HIV.
“The training is also taken into communities, so girls who cannot easily travel are not left behind,” it said.
On leadership, AHF said Girls Act creates opportunities for girls to aspire to leadership positions through mentorship, advocacy and access to resources.
It said 17 Girls Act members in South Africa recently completed a four-day public-speaking boot camp, while others participated in a workshop on recognising and preventing human trafficking.
The organisation added that boys are also included in the programme because protecting girls requires changing what young men know, believe and expect.
On results, AHF said the programme was empowering girls to negotiate safer sex and exercise bodily autonomy.
“Negotiating safe sex is the difference between exposure and protection, and bodily autonomy is not a slogan but a public health asset.
“Ruvarashe, an AHF Girls Act member in Zimbabwe, says the support she received taught her to value herself and helped her stay in school. She hopes other girls in her community will also benefit,” it said.
AHF said the model was spreading across Africa. In South Africa, Girls Act has partnered with the Artisan Development Academy to introduce girls to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as skilled trades. It has also partnered with a local bakery to provide practical baking training for 15 adolescent girls.
In Uganda, the organisation has worked with the Youth Prevention Programme to provide entrepreneurship training for young people in the Central Region.
AHF said Nigeria was part of the continental network, adding that the leadership academy currently being implemented by AHF Nigeria in collaboration with Education as a Vaccine (EVA) would further demonstrate the benefits of investing in girls.
The organisation stressed that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) could not tackle the challenge alone and should not be expected to do so.
It therefore called on federal and state governments to adopt, fund and integrate the Girls Act model into national and state plans for HIV prevention, education and youth development.
According to AHF, this would require dedicated budgetary allocations for menstrual health to ensure that no girl misses school because she cannot afford sanitary pads; skills training and start-up support for out-of-school girls within their communities; assistance for girls to return to and remain in school; leadership platforms for girls in schools and communities; and clear pathways connecting young people to HIV testing, treatment and care.
The organisation said all stakeholders involved in the HIV response had a role to play in addressing the challenge.
“Some will say the country has more pressing priorities. They should weigh the cost of inaction: new infections among young people, lifelong treatment, interrupted schooling and lost productivity.
“Prevention that also builds livelihoods and leadership is among the smartest investments a government can make.
“Our girls have shown what is possible when someone invests in them. They have earned the right to be treated as a key population in the national response, not as an afterthought.
“Government should adopt the Girls Act, fund it and scale it up, so that the next generation of Nigerian girls grows up informed, independent and free of HIV,” it said.
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