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Social protection programming has continued to expand globally in recent years, but coverage gaps remain, with children and adolescents having the lowest rates of coverage globally compared with other age groups. Social protection can promote the development of capabilities across the life course, but given relatively low coverage rates among…

Social protection is a human right, but it is not yet a universal reality. Only half of the world’s population are effectively covered by at least one social protection cash benefit, leaving 4 billion people unprotected. This global estimate hides stark regional differences – with the highest coverage gaps found in Asia and Africa – but also…

The COVID-19 and HIV Digest compiles news, updates, knowledge and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic of interest to those working on HIV, health and well-being among children, adolescents and pregnant women. The digest aims to give a brief and curated overview of updates and resources each month or around specific moments. Teh first twelve…

In 2019 it was estimated that 1.2 million children (0-14) were living with HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa, yet more than a half million of these children (504,000) were not receiving lifesaving treatment. Children with HIV need to achieve viral load suppression if they are to lead long and healthy lives. Population-based surveys in Malawi,…

This implementation brief examines the current efforts in eastern and southern Africa to accelerate and scale up evidence-based PrEP delivery platforms for adolescent girls and young women. The brief provides current knowledge and builds on WHO guidance to provide key considerations for implementation, including driving demand and improving…,  is informed by knowledge and lessons learned emerging from a virtual thank tank and webinar convened by UNICEF together with WHO AFRO and the Global Fund, with support from the SIDA funded 2gether 4 SRHR programme, in early 2021. --------------, EVIDENCE UPDATE 2024, Over the past three years, the PrEP landscape has evolved significantly including for AGYW in Eastern and Southern Africa who continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. The evidence update titled: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Eastern and Southern Africa: The latest insights , aims to enhance the quality…, IMPLEMENTATION BRIEF Improving the Quality of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Implementation for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Eastern and Southern AfricaSeptember 2021 Background Demand creation Community engagement AGYW participation Adaptation of service delivery platforms Integration with related services Determining who will benefit from PrEP…

This report presents the results of an exercise aimed at mapping HIV-sensitive social protection programmes in East and Southern Africa (ESA), the region most affect by HIV in the world. Particular focus was on 15 countries in the region (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, South Sudan,…

The global community has committed to eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT), also known as vertical transmission, of HIV and syphilis as a public health priority. In 2014 the World Health Organization (WHO) released the first edition of the Global guidance on criteria and processes for validation: elimination of mother-to-child…

Good mental health and psychosocial wellbeing is especially important for adolescents during their transition to adulthood. It can support resilience, help initiate healthy behaviours, and shape long-term positive health outcomes. Mental health is influenced by a range of biological, social, psychological, and cultural factors, all of which may…

Our review demonstrated the potential for bundled, multisectoral interventions for preventing HIV and facilitating safe transitions to adulthood. Findings have implications for designing HIV sensitive programmes on a larger scale, including how interventions may need to address multiple strata of the social ecological model to achieve success in…

This compiles knowledge, insights and recommendations from UNICEF focal points in country offices implementing a project aimed at introducing, scaling up, and integrating point-of-care (POC) diagnostics into national health systems.The project was implemented by UNICEF, CHAI and ASLM with funding from Unitaid in 10 sub-Saharan African countries…, Although the project was focused on increasing access to early infant diagnosis of HIV through POC testing, it also demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of POC diagnostics and the benefits of multi-disease testing by integrating HIV viral load and TB testing on the same POC diagnostic platforms. In spite of the focus on HIV, the lessons reported…, Accelerating Access to Innovative Point-of-Care HIV DiagnosticsLessons learned from UNICEF Published by UNICEFProgramme Division - HIV/AIDS Section3 United Nations PlazaNew York, NY 10017, USA Contact: Alex Costa, [email protected] Website: http://childrenandaids.org/ Suggested citation: Accelerating Access to Innovative Point-of-Care HIV…

This document outlines the fundamentals of PMTCT impact determination and provides considerations for development of pragmatic, streamlined and resource-efficient systems for MTCT estimate generation in high burden settings. The guidance attempts to acknowledge the current reality of PMTCT programme data and the need for reliable MTCT rates while…

Adolescents have the lowest rates of retention in HIV care and ART adherence when compared to other age groups. It is essential for programmers to better understand the adolescent HIV care pathways in sub-Saharan Africa, where public HIV services have been decentralised throughout the region.  This evidence and programming brief is the first in a…