A recent study conducted by Makerere University School of Public Health exposes the inadequacy of social interventions aimed at preventing HIV infection in girls and young women. Despite substantial funding, initiatives such as the school subsidies program, which allocated seven billion shillings to the Ministry of Education, have not yielded significant results.
The Global Fund’s campaign to keep girls in schools included providing necessities like sanitary pads, but the study, conducted in fourteen high HIV prevalence districts, found that these efforts did not effectively curb new infections. The assessment, conducted in 2018 and 2023, evaluated interventions such as social-economic empowerment, behavior change communication, and skills-based training.
According to Dr. Joseph Matovu, the Principal Investigator, the interventions did work, but there was no significant improvement in reducing new infections. Infection rates increased slightly from 1% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2023 in the benefiting districts, compared to a rise from 1.1% to 1.3% in non-intervention districts during the same period.
The study highlights concerns about the high budget allocated to support a relatively small number of girls. For example, the skills-based training program spent 1 million shillings to train each girl in vocational skills. Researchers also noted gaps in the supply of items, such as pads and undergarments, which could have affected the program’s effectiveness.
The funding cycle ending this month reached 90,000 girls with 2.5 billion shillings, but the study reveals discrepancies in the distribution of items. Girls reported receiving these items irregularly, with some receiving them only once in three months or once a year. The study suggests that these gaps may have compromised the program’s impact.
Henry Ssemakula from the Ministry of Education acknowledged that items are delivered once a year, and the latest consignment was flagged off days before the closure for the third term holidays. Despite efforts to provide necessities, the study raises questions about the adequacy and timing of interventions aimed at preventing HIV in girls.
