AHF South Africa - Empower Girls, Protect Health on International Day of the Girl

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (Oct. 20, 2025) As we focus on International Day of the Girl (IDG), commemorated annually on Oct. 11, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) South Africa joined dozens of other AHF programs worldwide to help protect girls from HIV, celebrate their accomplishments, amplify their voices, and advocate for policies that safeguard girls’ health and futures. 

Despite progress, adolescent girls and young women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of global health inequities—particularly when it comes to HIV. Every week, 4,000 young women ages 15–24 become newly infected with HIV, more than 3,300 of them in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, 1.9 million adolescent girls and young women were living with HIV, compared to 1.2 million boys and young men of the same age. 

South Africa marked International Day of the Girl with four community events in October:

• Mpumalanga (16 Oct, Emalahleni LoveLife Youth Centre, Kwa-Guqa, Emalahleni): 50 girls from schools and youth organisations created “My Dreams, My Future” vision boards to reinforce education, health, and personal growth in line with Girls Act values. Partners of the event included the Department of Health, the Department of Education, Hope of Glory, Civil Society, the Department of Social Development, and Lovelife.
• Eastern Cape (17 Oct, Willowvale Secondary School): 60 girls engaged on unplanned pregnancy and HIV prevention, with teen mothers sharing relatable stories in a multidisciplinary session addressing information gaps in rural and remote areas. Partners of the event included Bumb’ingomso and the Department of Education.
• KwaZulu-Natal (18 Oct, Mitchell Park, Morningside): A sip-and-paint picnic with 40 girls created a safe space to discuss sexual and reproductive health, youth-friendly clinics, and mental health as part of holistic well-being. Partners of the event included Health Systems Trust, CCP, CPV youth ambassadors, and Youth Advocate.
• Gauteng (18 Oct, Rietvlei Farm Zoo): 50 girls joined a 5km hike to encourage positive health-seeking behaviour, sisterhood and mental health, followed by bracelet-making and fireside chats on SRH access and advocacy. Partners of the event included the Department of Health, CPV, and Diepsloot Youth in Action. 

“Across four provinces, we created practical, safe spaces for girls to talk about their health, build confidence, and stay in school. This included everything from vision boards and a sip-and-paint picnic to a 5km hike and fireside chats,” said Dr Nombuso Madonsela, Country Program Director, AHF South Africa. “The Girls Act is public health equips young women with knowledge, supportive peers, and links to youth-friendly services so they can prevent HIV, access care when needed, and protect their futures.” 

Systemic barriers compound health risks:

• 133 million girls worldwide remain out of school, cutting off critical pathways to future independence and healthy lives.
• Among adolescent girls ages 15–19 who have been in a relationship, nearly 19 million globally, about 1 in 4 experienced intimate partner violence.
• Each year, 12 million girls are married before age 18, cutting short their education and putting their safety and health at risk, including increased vulnerability to HIV. Globally, nearly 650 million women and girls alive today were married in childhood, with the highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, where almost 4 in 10 girls are child brides.
• Period poverty affects 500 million people who menstruate, causing missed school and work and inadequate access to products, private and safe toilets, and sufficient water and hygiene support to properly manage their menstruation. 

AHF is committed to tackling these challenges head-on through its Girls Act program, active in nearly 40 countries worldwide. Girls Act equips girls and young women with the knowledge, resources, and peer support they need to stay free from HIV and other STIs, access and adhere to lifesaving HIV treatment, remain in school, and prevent unplanned pregnancies. 

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About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF):

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to over 2.5 million people in 50 countries worldwide in the Americas, Africa, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare