During 2001 and 2002, AP helped three African students to develop a network of young AIDS activists in Africa, named Youth Against AIDS (YAA). Their long-term goal was to lobby for more involvement by young people in the development of AIDS policy, provide better information to young Africans about the health risks from HIV/AIDS, and engage young Africans in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Their immediate goal was to influence two special sessions of the UN General Assembly, on HIV/AIDS (June 2001) and Children (May 2002). By the time of the meeting on children, YAA was part of a much larger movement for child rights that has made significant progress on HIV/AIDS and many other challenges facing children.
http://advocacynet.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/index.jpg
By 2002, several YAA network members had launched projects, and YAA itself was starting to receive donations. YAA asked its 18 African representatives to organize a letter-writing campaign to lobby the British government to commit more funding to AIDS. Four countries raised over 100 letters within a week.
In an imaginative example of north-south youth cooperation known as “Adopt a Project,” YAA’s African members were asked to identify small, community-based projects. YAA then sought out northern partners (mainly universities) to sponsor a project and raise funds. Five universities or groups in Canada, the United States and Britain raised funds for seven African projects.
But YAA’s strength, and that of its three founding members, lay in international advocacy. YAA was an active participant in a coalition of youth organizations (known as Youth Force) that lobbied one of the preparatory meetings of the 2001 UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS in Barcelona. YAA’s president, Lydiah Bosire, was extremely active at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, and again at the Special Session of the UNGA on Children in 2002. By the time of these two meetings, YAA had become absorbed into a much larger coalition of advocates that worked on the two issues.
YAA was one of the first networks to define the threat of HIV/AIDS to young people, and give young Africans a chance to give voice to their concerns. In early 2001, AP provided funds for the YAA founding members to visit South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal and Nigeria and profile their 18 partners. AP published their reports in an online series of On the Record which are reproduced here. The series represented a new an authentic voice of Africa youth, and generated over 70 comments than any other previous series by AP. Most came from Africa, underlining AP’s expanding reach also showing the potential for Internet-based networking in that continent. In preparing material, AP enlisted the support of two African journalist organizations, Journalists Against AIDS (Nigeria) and Rights Features (Kenya).
AP also created a new website for YAA with a clickable map that led to the 18 young AIDS activists. The website went public on December 1, 2001 – International AIDS Day – and attracted considerable attention and interest. YAA’s friends then helped to translate all of the material on their new site into French, on their own free time. This showed their dedication to the project. It also shows how a website can help to empower and energize a new network.
YAA reached a larger audience when it was selected as the first featured partner on a new One World AIDS web portal. The channel was launched on International AIDS Day (December 1).
AP coverage
February 2003
Youth Against AIDS Raises $4,730 For African Projects
April 2002
British Students Raise Funds for Nigerian Youth AIDS Project
February 2002
Youth Network Urges New Global AIDS Fund to Target Youth
December 2001
Letters: Youth Against AIDS in Africa
December 2001
AP Helps to Launch a New African Network of Young AIDS Activists
On the Record against AIDS in Africa
This series of On the Record covers the work of Youth Against AIDS in Africa. It was published in late 2001 and early 2002.
YAA continued after the conferences. For example, it expressed concern that the new Global AIDS Fund will not target vulnerable groups like young people, and that it may give out grants that are too large to be useful to community based campaigns. But its three founding members were working without a salary, and lacked the long-term funding they were unable to sustain the website and network past two years. All three went on to other jobs, while their African partners connected to other networks.
This did not indicate failure.By joining forces with other advocates at the two major special sessions of the United Nations General Assembly – the special session on HIV/AIDS (June 2001) and the special session on Children (May 2002) – YAA found a larger platform for its ideas, and was better able to influence the two meetings. Both sessions produced strong commitments, and laid a strong foundation for human rights advocacy in the years to come. HIV/AIDS has slowed in Africa, and child rights is one of the fastest-growing issues on the human rights agenda. This could not have been achieved without civil society, and YAA made an important contribution.
John Kamau, the Managing Editor of Rights Features, contributed several profiles to the YAA site and wrote to AP: “Thanks for giving us this challenging task of writing these profiles. It has been a learning experience, emotional, and reveals the details we all ignore. It is our hope that this will open door to more collaboration.” Rights Features has now asked AP to work with them on a website.
Sentamu Phillip Sparks, the YAA Ugandan focal point wrote of the series: “That was good stuff. Please keep it up! I hope to get some articles from young people up onto the internet soon. Thanks for the good work again!!.”
The website (and series) were also read widely outside Africa. David Alexander wrote to AP from Taiwan to say that the first issue of the newsletter had appeared in the Taiwan Church News – in Chinese. “It goes on to talk about the formation of YAA and directs people to your website. So, You’re not only in English and French, but now also in Chinese, at least here in Taiwan. Congratulations and keep up the good work.”
Lydiah Bosire, one of the co-founders of YAA described the impact of AP’s support on the YAA network: “The contribution of Advocacy Project was invaluable in solidifying the networking efforts of our organization. Our website, which you were instrumental in creating, has received incredible reviews. Not only do we have many hits, but many people have come to know about us because of our online presence. In fact, many organizations have invited the youth featured on our websites to their events! For instance, Inviolata Mmbwavi, one of the girls we profiled from our visit to Kenya, was invited to speak at an HIV/AIDS panel the UNGASS on Children. The UNICEF office in Nairobi knew about Inviolata because of our profile. There are many other accomplishments that YAA has met because of your support, and I hope we can find other ways to work together in the future.”
[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:12,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”During 2001 and 2002, AP helped three African students to develop a network of young AIDS activists in Africa, named Youth Against AIDS (YAA). Their long-term goal was to lobby for more involvement by young people in the development of AIDS policy, provide better information to young Africans about the health risks from HIV\/AIDS, and engage young Africans in the fight against HIV\/AIDS. Their immediate goal was to influence two special sessions of the UN General Assembly, on HIV\/AIDS (June 2001) and Children (May 2002). By the time of the meeting on children, YAA was part of a much larger movement for child rights that has made significant progress on HIV\/AIDS and many other challenges facing children.<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}],[{“id”:”5″,”block”:”image”,”source”:”~wp-uploads\/2013\/08\/index.jpg”,”alt”:”index”,”link”:”~wp-uploads\/2013\/08\/index.jpg”,”class”:””,”scale”:”75%”,”position”:”center”,”size”:{“width”:0,”height”:0}}]]},{“id”:6,”block”:”tab”,”tabs”:[{“label”:”Taking Action”,”childs”:[{“id”:”7″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”
By 2002, several YAA network members had launched projects, and YAA itself was starting to receive donations. YAA asked its 18 African representatives to organize a letter-writing campaign to lobby the British government to commit more funding to AIDS. Four countries raised over 100 letters within a week.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
In an imaginative example of north-south youth cooperation known as \u201cAdopt a Project,\u201d YAA\u2019s African members were asked to identify small, community-based projects. YAA then sought out northern partners (mainly universities) to sponsor a project and raise funds. Five universities or groups in Canada, the United States and Britain raised funds for seven African projects.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
But YAA\u2019s strength, and that of its three founding members, lay in international advocacy. YAA was an active participant in a coalition of youth organizations (known as Youth Force) that lobbied one of the preparatory meetings of the 2001 UN Special Session on HIV\/AIDS in Barcelona. YAA\u2019s president, Lydiah Bosire, was extremely active at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on HIV\/AIDS, and again at the Special Session of the UNGA on Children in 2002. By the time of these two meetings, YAA had become absorbed into a much larger coalition of advocates that worked on the two issues.
\n<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]},{“label”:”Telling the Story”,”childs”:[{“id”:”8″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”
YAA was one of the first networks to define the threat of HIV\/AIDS to young people, and give young Africans a chance to give voice to their concerns. In early 2001, AP provided funds for the YAA founding members to visit South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal and Nigeria and profile their 18 partners. AP published their reports in an online series of On the Record which are reproduced here. The series represented a new an authentic voice of Africa youth, and generated over 70 comments than any other previous series by AP. Most came from Africa, underlining AP\u2019s expanding reach also showing the potential for Internet-based networking in that continent. In preparing material, AP enlisted the support of two African journalist organizations, Journalists Against AIDS (Nigeria) and Rights Features (Kenya).<\/span><\/p>\n\n
AP also created a new website for YAA with a clickable map that led to the 18 young AIDS activists. The website went public on December 1, 2001 \u2013 International AIDS Day \u2013 and attracted considerable attention and interest. YAA\u2019s friends then helped to translate all of the material on their new site into French, on their own free time. This showed their dedication to the project. It also shows how a website can help to empower and energize a new network.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
YAA reached a larger audience when it was selected as the first featured partner on a new One World AIDS web portal. The channel was launched on International AIDS Day (December 1).<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””},{“id”:”9″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”
AP coverage<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n
February 2003
\nYouth Against AIDS Raises $4,730 For African Projects<\/span><\/p>\n\n
April 2002
\nBritish Students Raise Funds for Nigerian Youth AIDS Project<\/span><\/p>\n\n
February 2002
\nYouth Network Urges New Global AIDS Fund to Target Youth<\/span><\/p>\n\n
December 2001
\nLetters: Youth Against AIDS in Africa<\/span><\/p>\n\n
December 2001
\nAP Helps to Launch a New African Network of Young AIDS Activists<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nOn the Record against AIDS in Africa<\/a><\/b>
\n<\/p>\n\n
This series of On the Record covers the work of Youth Against AIDS in Africa. It was published in late 2001 and early 2002.<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]},{“label”:”Producing Change”,”childs”:[{“id”:”10″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”
YAA continued after the conferences. For example, it expressed concern that the new Global AIDS Fund will not target vulnerable groups like young people, and that it may give out grants that are too large to be useful to community based campaigns. But its three founding members were working without a salary, and lacked the long-term funding they were unable to sustain the website and network past two years. All three went on to other jobs, while their African partners connected to other networks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
This did not indicate failure.By joining forces with other advocates at the two major special sessions of the United Nations General Assembly – the special session on HIV\/AIDS (June 2001) and the special session on Children (May 2002) – YAA found a larger platform for its ideas, and was better able to influence the two meetings. Both sessions produced strong commitments, and laid a strong foundation for human rights advocacy in the years to come. HIV\/AIDS has slowed in Africa, and child rights is one of the fastest-growing issues on the human rights agenda. This could not have been achieved without civil society, and YAA made an important contribution.<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]},{“label”:”Feedback”,”childs”:[{“id”:”11″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”
John Kamau, the Managing Editor of Rights Features, contributed several profiles to the YAA site and wrote to AP: \u201cThanks for giving us this challenging task of writing these profiles. It has been a learning experience, emotional, and reveals the details we all ignore. It is our hope that this will open door to more collaboration.\u201d Rights Features has now asked AP to work with them on a website.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Sentamu Phillip Sparks, the YAA Ugandan focal point wrote of the series: \u201cThat was good stuff. Please keep it up! I hope to get some articles from young people up onto the internet soon. Thanks for the good work again!!.\”<\/span><\/p>\n\n
The website (and series) were also read widely outside Africa. David Alexander wrote to AP from Taiwan to say that the first issue of the newsletter had appeared in the Taiwan Church News \u2013 in Chinese. \u201cIt goes on to talk about the formation of YAA and directs people to your website. So, You’re not only in English and French, but now also in Chinese, at least here in Taiwan. Congratulations and keep up the good work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Lydiah Bosire, one of the co-founders of YAA described the impact of AP\u2019s support on the YAA network: \u201cThe contribution of Advocacy Project was invaluable in solidifying the networking efforts of our organization. Our website, which you were instrumental in creating, has received incredible reviews. Not only do we have many hits, but many people have come to know about us because of our online presence. In fact, many organizations have invited the youth featured on our websites to their events! For instance, Inviolata Mmbwavi, one of the girls we profiled from our visit to Kenya, was invited to speak at an HIV\/AIDS panel the UNGASS on Children. The UNICEF office in Nairobi knew about Inviolata because of our profile. There are many other accomplishments that YAA has met because of your support, and I hope we can find other ways to work together in the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]}]}]}[/content-builder]
