READY
© Sydelle Willow Smith
READY exists so that young people lead on designing and implementing health programmes.
READY is a portfolio of programmes which are designed to build resilient and empowered adolescents and young people. We know this is vital because HIV is the second largest cause of death of adolescents globally, and the first in Africa.
Young people all over the world can join the READY movement to demand their right to a healthy life, whatever their circumstances, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Young people helped create the READY movement in order to expand our READY portfolio. Today, they remain at its core.
The READY Movement is led by the Global Network of Young People living with HIV (Y+), with support from Frontline AIDS and its partners.
HOW WE DO IT
All READY programmes place adolescents and young people in their diversity at the centre of design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation.
READY+
READY+ aims to reach 30,000 adolescents and young people living with HIV in eSwatini, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The four-year programme increases access to holistic care and support: promoting not only sexual and reproductive health and right (SRHR) but also mental health in order to foster resilience. Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS) play a vital role. During home and clinic visits, CATS provide information, counselling and support to other young people living with HIV and encourage adherence to HIV treatment.
READY+ is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Maputo, and led by Frontline AIDS in partnership with Y+, AFRICAID/Zvandiri, Coordinating Assembly of NGOs in Swaziland (CANGO), Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), M&C Saatchi World Services, Paediatric AIDS Treatment for Africa (PATA), the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) and Tanzania Council for Social Development (TACOSODE).
READY to Lead
READY to Lead strengthens the leadership and advocacy skills of 100 young female peer supporters in Zimbabwe. The programme focuses on the power of young women and adolescent girls to become effective leaders in the community and to influence key HIV and SRHR policies and budgets. In turn, the women become mentors and role models to other young women.
READY to Lead is funded by Comic Relief and implemented by Frontline AIDS, Zimbabwe Young Positives (ZY+) and ATHENA.
READY Fellowship
The READY Fellowship builds the advocacy and leadership skills of young people living with HIV. Members of the Y+ Board take part in an intensive six-month training programme, working with the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) and Frontline AIDS.
iREADY
i-READY supports and creates information and communication technology (ICT) tools that can be used by adolescents and young people in Burundi and Mozambique to promote access to information on SRHR, peer support and adherence to HIV treatment. Supported by the SPIDER centre, adolescents and young people devise innovative ICT solutions, based on their needs.
READY Teens
READY Teens ended in December 2018, but work is ongoing to support young people to speak at conferences. READY Teens provided comprehensive SRHR services and built the capacity of youth leaders who create safe spaces for adolescents from marginalised groups in Burundi, Ethiopia and Uganda. Adolescents aged 10-19 learnt about HIV and SRHR and developed their skills so that they could make healthier choices. In just two years, READY Teens reached over 15,000 adolescents with comprehensive SRHR information and services.
READY Teens was implemented by Alliance Linking Organisations Alliance Burundaise contre le SIDA (ABS), Community Health Alliance Uganda (CHAU) and Organisation for Social Services, Health and Development (OSSHD) and their youth partners in Burundi, Uganda and Ethiopia.
WHY WE DO IT
We implement READY because we believe in the power of young people and think they should be involved in the HIV response.
WHERE WE DO IT
READY is a global movement, but the programmes above take place in the following countries throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, and West and Central Africa.
We’re on the frontline of HIV support in Burundi, helping local communities respond to their country’s HIV epidemic.
We are on the frontline of HIV support in Eswatini, helping marginalised communities make their voices heard in national policy discussions.
We are on the frontline of sexual and reproductive health and rights in Ethiopia, working to help its youngest citizens protect themselves against HIV.
We’re on the frontline of AIDS in Mozambique, ensuring HIV services are designed with the needs of people most affected by HIV in mind.
We’re on the frontline of HIV support in Tanzania, helping the country’s younger population better protect themselves from the risk of HIV.
We’re on the frontline of the HIV epidemic in Uganda, working to support a variety of marginalised groups access vital prevention and treatment services.
We’re on the frontline of sexual and reproductive health and rights services in Zimbabwe, working to protect young women and other marginalised groups from HIV.
OUR RESULTS
We let the young people we work with speak for themselves:
- Watch Ntsiki’s video – The sky is the limit to find out more about the CATS model in READY+
- Read Audrey’s interview about the power of peer support under READY to Lead
- Check out Annah’s speech when she took to the microphone at AIDS 2018
JOIN US
Join the READY Movement on Facebook
FOLLOW THE READY MOVEMENT ON INSTAGRAM
Tweet your support using #READYtoDecide
Read the latest READY newsletter
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