My name is Selma Ndasilohenda Iyambo. I am the founder and host of the Sex Talks Podcast and a proud HER Voice Fund Ambassador to Namibia. My passion lies in amplifying the stories of young people and empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW). For over six years, I have been dedicated to working in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), beginning my advocacy journey as a volunteer at a young age.
From September 23rd to 27th, I had the privilege of representing AGYW at the Civil Society Pre-Meeting for the 2024 Southern Africa Development Community—National AIDS Councils (SADC NAC) Directors meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. The meeting was a critical opportunity to review the state of HIV in Southern Africa, a region where the epidemic still hits hardest.
At the meeting, UNAIDS shared alarming statistics about the high vulnerability of AGYW and children in the region. It was shocking to learn that 2,372 new HIV infections are recorded among AGYW in Southern Africa every week despite significant investments and programmatic interventions. Our discussions focused on identifying gaps in interventions, including the delivery of services, their locations, punitive laws in different countries, and the responsible individuals. In some places, there are no services at all, further limiting access to critical care, especially for young people living with disabilities who are often excluded from HIV and SRHR programs.
As a member of the UNITED! Movement, I want to emphasise the urgent need for more inclusive advocacy, especially for young people living with disabilities and HIV and see resources being allocated to those who need it most. It's disheartening to see and hear in the meeting that key population-serving organisations, including LGBTQ+- focused organisations, receive the least amount of support and attention. But we must ask ourselves, why? When the data is clear, and the facts speak for themselves, why do we continue to see pushback? If UNAIDS’s Global Update 2024 have outlined the path we need to take, then we must remind people in positions of power that progress is intertwined with what we do for one population and the other.
The lack of resource allocation undermines our efforts to reach those most vulnerable to HIV and those in need of critical HIV and SRH services. We all know that those at higher risk often have the greatest need for tailored support. It's crucial that funding is directed towards community-led organisations, in particular those that serve key populations, LGBTIQ+ and people living with disabilities, to ensure they are meaningfully engaged in decision-making.
Our recommendations to the NAC directors were clear: review punitive laws that prevent effective service delivery, bring services to young people in locations where they are most comfortable, and leverage technology and innovation to engage with them. It was gratifying to see that my recommendations were included in the final outline presented during the directors' meeting the following week. I want to thank the UNITED! Movement, Y+ Global and UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa for their support and for giving me the platform to raise these issues.