Despite significant progress in addressing HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria still has the second highest rate of HIV in the region, and one of the highest rates globally, which led to 150,000 deaths in 2017 alone.
Children and young people carry the greatest burden.
In 2017, 220,000 children (under 14 years old) were reportedly living with HIV, and Nigeria is the only country in the world where AIDS related deaths amongst young people is on the rise.
The increased access to smart phones has also made pornography prolific.
As Sunday Musa, Director of ACET Nigeria says, ‘Many children in Nigeria don’t have 3 meals a day, but they are consuming pornography with access to cheap smart phones.’ Pornography edifies sexual violence, and creates unhealthy expectations of sex, promoting early sexual debut and demand for dangerous sexual activity, contributing to the HIV endemic.
In Nigeria, gender inequality is commonplace, putting girls and women at greater risk of poverty, sexual violence, unsafe pregnancies and leaving school early. Consequently, girls and women are twice as likely as their male counterparts to have HIV.
As well as providing HIV testing, counselling and treatment adherence support, ACET Nigeria works across the generations in underserved, rural communities to address the drivers of HIV, including stigma, poverty and gender inequality.
In 2020, 1,875 young people will be reached with quality relationships and sex education (RSE) through weekly Kids’ and Esteem youth clubs. A further 2000 young people will be reached through social media.
ACET Nigeria's network of trained volunteers will deliver effective, interactive and memorable RSE sessions on topics such as self-esteem, relationships, sexual health, HIV prevention and care, the media, sexting and gender equality.
Watch the videos to find out more.