Girls and young women account for 67 percent of new HIV infections among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.

Through the DREAMS Innovation Challenge, which is funded by PEPFAR and managed by JSI, the Bar Hostess Empowerment & Support Programme (BHESP) helps vulnerable adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya to protect themselves from HIV infection, including through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

PrEP is a daily dose of antiretroviral medication and is demonstrated to be up to 99 percent effective (depending on risk and adherence) for preventing HIV infection. Best of all, girls can self-administer it.

Bar Hostess Empowerment and Support Programme (BHESP) Sunday joined hundreds of women in Nairobi to participate in the Women’s Run 2018 as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign with calls for protection against victims of gender-based violence and shifting the blame from the survivors to the perpetrators.

From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.