Background
The AMIE (AIDS-Free, Mentored, Integrated, and Empowered)project places its focus in supporting the AGYW to build capacities of remaining resilient in life as well as regaining the hope for life. It has the overall aim of contributing to the reduction of the disproportionate level of new HIV infections among Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW). This is done through providing AGYW life mentorship skills including specific knowledge on STIs and HIV/AIDS as well as their prevention, and empowering them economically so that they remain resilient and hold themselves accountable for their behavior for the best in future.
The recent 2019 Rwanda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment revealed that 3.3 percent HIV prevalence among females of 15-49 years old against 1.8 percent in the same age group of men.
This high prevalence among women calls on the more effort in HIV interventions against HIV spread targeting women. The exposure to risky factors like high number of infected sexual partners, inability to consent for sex, not knowing their rights get referenced among the key factors that accelerate the prevalence among women than men. The groups like female sex works play role in increasing the percentage of this population’s prevalence
Rwanda national strategic plan of 2018- 2024, commends the interventions targeting groups susceptible to high transmission. Working in that line, FXB Rwanda thought of having AMIE Project to expand its contribution in HIV prevention interventions targeting adolescent girls and young adults.
Current Situation
The being implemented AIDS-Free, Mentored, Integrated, and Empowered (AMIE) Project is implemented in the district of Kamonyi, Runda sector. The at risk adolescent girls and young adults between 10 to 24 years old are selected and enrolled in the program to access the program’s service package. The service package offered include the social assets (sexual and reproductive health and rights education)that enable AGYW to develop their knowledge on such life. They also get economic strengthening support from the program to remain economically empowered, and their surrounding community get supported with behavior change communications as well.
Program Strategies
Beneficiary Engagement: The target adolescent girls and young women are engaged in the program from its start. They do support in provision of ideas around which kind of support to provide in addition to sexual and reproductive health education which is provided to all. Their engagement is also seen from the start where the program share its part of support and require their portion to sustain the goals getting achieved. Through this strategy, the beneficiary is aware of the part s/he is to play and the monitoring metrics are set for both sides to track the progress as the the program goes on.
Local Partners collaboration: It is really known that working alone, especially on the programs that are community-based, cannot be sustainable and as effective as it can be considering the latter’s support. The AMIE project engages with community local leaders, the other surrounding partners and other government agencies to leverage their support in full support provision to AGYW.
