Media Wire Express Correspondent
The Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, announced a new initiative aimed at empowering young males aged 15-24
who are at risk, to protect them from infectious diseases, including HIV. This program will complement existing efforts that focus on empowering adolescent girls and young women.
Dr. Gwajima made the announcement during a ceremony where she presented equipment and machinery valued at over 500 million shillings to a group of girls rescued from hazardous environments. The aid, provided by the non-governmental organization HJFMRI, is intended to help these girls become economically self-sufficient and reduce their reliance on potentially harmful practices.
Sally Chalamila, the Executive Director of HJFMRI, emphasized that without economic empowerment and protection for adolescent girls and young women, efforts to combat HIV/AIDS would be less effective. The financial pressures faced by these groups heighten their vulnerability to infection. In this context, empowering young males is seen as a critical step towards a more comprehensive approach to health and economic stability.
Read More; Major Clean Energy Conference Announced
Fatma Teofig, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Community Development, highlighted the benefits of enabling these young men to achieve economic independence. She noted that providing them with the means to support themselves could significantly impact their overall well-being and reduce their risk of falling into exploitative situations.
