#Radio4000 - Engage. Enable. Empower.
UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Office, in partnership with the Global Fund and the HER Voice Fund, launched Radio 4000, the first-ever podcast series supporting implementing partners to programme with and for adolescent girls and young women in HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
As the name of the podcast suggests, 4000 adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV every week. Despite accounting for 10% of the region’s population, adolescent girls and young women make up one in four of all new HIV infections across ESA and six in seven new HIV infections among adolescents, aged 15-19 years, occur among girls.
This podcast is brought to you by UNICEF in partnership with the Global Fund and the Her Voice Fund.
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Radio 4000 Introduction
Each week, 4000 adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV. Radio 4000 was created as a platform to discuss, respond and promote peer-to-peer learning about the models that work. Our goal is to amplify their voices and to center their preferences and experiences. We share stories, best practices, and tools to improve our everyday work.
Episode 1: Improving lives of adolescent girls and young women
In east and southern Africa, young women continue to be disproportionately at risk of HIV infection and other sexual and reproductive health challenges. There is an urgent need to scale-up well-designed and effective programmes that meet the sexual and reproductive health and HIV-related needs of young women in the region. In this episode our guest, UNICEF Associate Director of HIV/AIDS Anurita Bains, unpacks practical steps that programme implementers can use to integrate key guidance to improve the quality and delivery of programmes for adolescent girls and young women.
Episode 2: Adolescent friendly services: what works?
Navigating the healthcare system can be challenging for anyone, and even more so for adolescents seeking HIV & sexual reproductive health (SRH) services. In this episode, we explore good practice examples of successful adolescent-friendly health service delivery and understand how these can be integrated into adolescent girls' SRH and HIV programmes.
Episode 3: The power of peers
Eastern and Southern Africa is home to 1.74 million adolescents living with HIV. In this region, AIDS is the leading cause of adolescent mortality. In this episode, we explore how investing in appropriate and quality programmes for this key group can improve relevant health outcomes and subgroups, such as those who are pregnant and breastfeeding, as well as impact HIV prevention.
Episode 4: PrEPing adolescent girls and young women
Oral PrEP has proven to be a highly effective strategy in preventing HIV infection in adolescent girls and young women. However, challenges remain in supporting the proper and sustained use of PrEP among this highly vulnerable group. This episode outlines the evidence and lessons from implementation, as well as key considerations highlighted through a recent PrEP think tank centred on adolescent girls and young women, facilitated by UNICEF and the Global Fund. This was supported by partners including WHO AFRO.
Episode 5: It takes two
In this episode of Radio 4000, we focus on men and boys. Our guests, Thulani and Shawn, discuss how sexual, reproductive health & HIV programmes benefit from targeting the needs of men, boys and young women. They unpack the successful Coach Mpilo model. We also hear about masculinity and issues men face, from rugby legend and UNICEF Regional Ambassador, Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira.