By Chisomo Phiri

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)  says it is concerned that 2.09 percent of adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 in the country are living with HIV, with 3,300 adolescents contracting the virus in 2023.

UNFPA Deputy Representative Dr. Ezizgeldi Hellenov told journalists on Monday that, with funding from the Norwegian government, they have embarked on an out-of-school comprehensive sexuality education program, targeting young people living with HIV and young people with disabilities.

Hellenov said that the program aims to equip adolescents and young people with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

On her part, UNFPA Regional Specialist for Comprehensive Sexuality Education Maria Bakaroudis emphasized the importance of providing young people with accurate information to help them prevent pregnancies, STIs, and HIV/AIDS.

Chief Youth Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Doreen Mtendere, commended UNFPA for implementing this project to ensure that the most vulnerable young people are not left behind.

UNFPA is a sexual and reproductive health agency whose mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

The agency promotes gender equality and empower women, girls and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures.

It work with partners in more than 150 countries to provide access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services.

The agency’s goal to end unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.