Teen Peer Education in Mali

October 11 marks the “International Day of the Girl” as declared by the United Nations. The day commemorates the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 which was considered a major milestone on the road to gender equality. It also seeks to highlight and address the challenges girls continue to face across the world, as well as promote women’s empowerment. 

In a 2017 report by the World Economic Forum, Mali ranked 139 out of 144 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index, signifying a severe divide in opportunities and representation between men and women. At present, 89% of Malian girls still undergo female genital mutilation, a tradition that remains legal in the country, but which can have painful and complex side effects. 

GAIA Vaccine Foundation is committed to the health, well-being and empowerment of girls and women in Mali. Since 2001, GAIA has worked closely with our partners in Mali to address health concerns that disproportionately affect girls including HPV, cervical cancer and HIV/AIDS transmission. 

In 2018, GAIA and Hope Center Clinic….

• Held weekly “Teen Peer HIV-Education” programs which 1,225 girls attended.
• Supported 1,428 women to receive prenatal care for their babies.  
• Tested over 250 girls and women free of charge for HIV. 

Programs such as our “Teen Peer HIV-Education” program seek to educate and prevent HIV and infectious diseases. They seek to empower Malian teens, particularly girls. 

With your generous support, GAIA will be able to work toward health and equality for girls and women in Mali. A donation of just $25 today goes directly to GAIA’s programming.

Aminata, a Malian teenager, once told us that her mother asked her to tell her what she learned in “Teen Peer Education” class. Aminata found out that her mother had very little knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases and ways to prevent pregnancy. She was happy to share this information with her mom and proud of her ability to do so.

That’s exactly what we set out to do with the Teen project in Sikoro, near Bamako, Mali. One of GAIA’s main objectives is to increase public knowledge of HIV, HPV, and other sexually transmitted diseases in Mali. We started running “Sex Ed” classes in 2012, because the majority of new HIV cases presented at the Hope Center Clinic at that time were found in teenage mothers. First pregnancies and HIV acquisition often occur simultaneously; extreme poverty and the absence of formal sex education leave women and girls with few options for pregnancy and HIV prevention. In Mali, only 34.9% of sexually active girls ages 15-19 are considered to have a comprehensive knowledge of HIV. The 2013 Adolescent Pregnancy report created by the United Nations Population Fund reported that 46% of Malian mothers give birth before the age of 18.

These engaging programs run by local staff provide a safe space for Malian teens to not only learn more about health education and how to prevent infection, but also create a dialogue between peers on these issues. In the past six months, January - June 2019, the Teen Peer Education program at the Hope Center Clinic has already been attended by over 600 Malian teenagers. The majority of participants are girls, some of whom are not currently in school and are considered a vulnerable population in Mali. In the future, the clinic intends to offer teen female-only sessions once per week to further increase accessibility.

With your support, GAIA will be able to continue these programs to expand public knowledge of reproductive health and prepare the next generations of Malians for a healthy future.