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Youth advocates have called on the government and other stakeholders to deliberately and consistently create programs and interventions for young people living in marginalised communities.
This is because most vulnerable and marginalised young people are seriously underrepresented in development programs including HIV prevention programs.
The call was made at a One-Day Community Outreach held on the 14th of December, 2019 for young people living in marginalised communities in commemoration of the International World AIDS Day organised by the United Nations Population Fund Youth Participatory Platform in Collaboration with the Lagos State Government in Lagos.
At the event, the representative of the Medical Officer Health, Ikotun PHC, Dr. Sangoleye said “The communities have a major role to play in the HIV response. They must be educated on the ways to prevent the transmission of HIV and also be able to access treatment.”
“Youths are vulnerable more so for those in marginalised communities, we need to provide them with the right information to make informed decisions about their health and well-being,” she added.
Also speaking, Mrs. Jaiye Ayanbadejo explained that the choice of Alimosho for the programme was because it is the largest Local Government in the state with not many community interventions such as this for young people.
Ms. Blessing Ashi, member of the UNFPA Youth Participatory Platform highlighted the importance of community outreaches and interventions for young people to provide them with accurate information on sexual reproductive health and rights which included HIV/AIDS.
She added that young people are susceptible to sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS especially when they don’t have access to information and that is why we have the Hello Lagos Youth Centers where young people have access to information free of charge and without judgment.
On the programme, she explained that about 200 young people were drawn from different areas in Alimosho Local Government Area, adding that the programme was divided into two sessions. The first session by Ms. Blessing Ashi dwelled on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) where the girls were taught ways to prevent HIV transmission, and how to protect themselves.
The second session was an interactive session by Mr. Oladimeji Ibrahim where the youths were given a short talk on life skills like communication skills, negotiation skills, self-esteem, assertiveness, and goal setting. Afterwards, HIV testing was conducted for about 120 young people present.
