The Telegraph: Daring to dream: The women and girls on HIV’s new front line
“…Women and girls … now occupy the front line of the war on HIV in Uganda and much of sub-Saharan Africa. There are other high risk groups but, by weight of numbers, it is this group — the young female poor — who are most vulnerable and numerous. … What is being rolled out is DREAMS. … DREAMS stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe women, and its goal is to reduce new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women in 15 countries across Africa and the Pacific, including Uganda. … [I]t is the brainchild of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) … The program targets not just health, but the ‘structural drivers’ that increase girls’ HIV risk. These include poverty, gender inequality, sexual violence, and lack of education but also their lack of ‘agency’ or self-confidence. … The impact of DREAMS is being monitored closely and early data has encouraged the Global Fund and others to invest in similar programs…” (Nuki, 7/31).