For the past two weeks, the buzz in Washington, DC and at the White House, is all about women and girls.
Yesterday, to mark National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Administration announced a new initiative to help local communities and grassroots organizations fight HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence.
U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Ambassador Eric Goosby, and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, highlighted how $4.65 million in small grants to civil society organizations will help promote gender equality and prevent HIV among women and girls in local communities.
With women accounting for over 64 percent of HIV-positive people worldwide, addressing the needs of women and girls living with HIV and AIDS worldwide is essential. Equally important is improving our response to gender-based violence, given that violence against women and girls increases their vulnerability to HIV.
Partnerships between US agencies, civil society, private corporations, and international institutions, are key to tackling these issues.
For its part, USAID is working to integrate gender-based violence into all of our HIV/AIDS programs. According to Carla Koppell, Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at USAID, the intersection between domestic and international HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence programs is crucial.
USAID-supported projects like the Go Girls! Initiative, which worked in several countries, including Botswana, Malawi, and Mozambique, have made significant gains in this area. By helping to prevent HIV infection in adolescent girls through the development of youth-focused materials, Go Girls! made gender a central issue to tackling HIV/AIDS.
Private companies are also helping to fight gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. Yesterday we heard from the MAC AIDS Fund, one of several partners teaming up with national governments to fight poverty and promote HIV prevention around the world.
In South Africa, I’ve seen first-hand how successful these types of partnerships can be.
A recent collaboration between the South African government, USAID, MAC AIDS Fund, and other partners provides support for Thuthuzela Care Centres, which offer important counseling and health services for women and girls to combat sexual violence and HIV. More engagement from partners and private corporations will go a long way in turning the tide against both gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS.
While the events over the last few weeks have done much to highlight women and girls, our work to improve their wellbeing in the context of HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence is only just beginning. To truly tackle these issues, we must continue to work together with all of our partners to create a generation free of HIV and improve the lives of women and girls around the world.
