Pass the Mic: Reinvigorating Global Efforts to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality

By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at Global Communities In 2012, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Governments of India and Ethiopia to convene the Child Survival Call to Action, which galvanized unprecedented commitments from governments and civil society around the…

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Ending the “Triple Threat” of Early Pregnancies, New HIV Infections and Sexual Violence among Adolescent Girls & Young Women

By Betty Adera A single act of sexual violence against women and girls can result in HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases, resulting in shame, fear and trauma. However, for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), sexual violence can also result in early pregnancy and childbearing, which carries its own stigma. Globally, girls between…

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Working to End Period Shame and Poverty in Parts of Africa

Lack of education on menstrual hygiene and health, persisting taboos and stigma, limited access to menstrual products and poor sanitation facilities undermines the educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls around the world. As a result, millions are kept from reaching their full potential. In recognition of Menstrual Hygiene Day, learn…

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World AIDS Day: Centering Adolescent Girls in the Journey towards HIV Epidemic Control

By: Betty Adera, Senior Technical Advisor HIV/AIDS and Health, Global Communities, Nairobi, Kenya  The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is “End Inequalities” and it is especially timely as the world continues grappling with COVID-19. Adolescent girls bear the greatest brunt of COVID-19-related inequalities. UNAIDS estimates that in sub-Saharan Africa, four in five new…

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Dreaming of and Driving toward an AIDS-free Botswana

Ask any adolescent girl or young woman what she wants to be when she grows up and the list will be as endless and unique as the girl herself. Some will say doctors and nurses or pilots and accountants, while others will want to make their mark as educators, entrepreneurs or celebrities in music, art…

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Protecting DREAMS in the Time of COVID-19

At the beginning of April, just a few weeks into the global coronavirus pandemic, DREAMS Botswana had one message for its Facebook followers and the more than 3,000 adolescent girls and young women it serves: “Even through COVID-19, we remain Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Healthy [AIDS-free], Mentored and Safe from HOME.” The line served a dual…

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On Air with DREAMS Botswana

“Welcome to The Catch, a radio program for adolescent girls and young women,” enthuses host Botlhale Sebataladi, who also serves as a program officer at PCI Botswana. Her energy is contagious as she introduces her guests, including several young mentors and girls involved with DREAMS, a global initiative of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for…

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