MINISTER for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special groups Dr Dorothy Gwajima has underscored the need for concerted efforts in the fight against HIV/Aids, especially among adolescent girls and young women.

Dr Gwajima made the statement in Mbeya Region yesterday at a ceremony to hand over equipment to support adolescent girls in Mbeya and Songwe regions. The items were donated by HJF Medical Research International (HJFMRI) through its DREAMS programme.

“Among young people who contract HIV each year, 80 percent are adolescent girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 years. The data highlights the need for concerted efforts to ensure our youth remain safe,” she said.

The 2022/2023 Tanzania HIV/Aids and Malaria indicator survey shows that Mbeya Region ranks third nationally with high HIV infection rate of 9.6 percent, compared to the national average of 4.4 percent.

Other regions with higher infection rates are Njombe (12.7 percent) and Iringa (11.1 percent). It shows that 60,000 people contract HIV annually, with 40 percent of them being youth.

The DREAMS project is implemented in Mbeya, Songwe, Rukwa and Katavi regions, targeting adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 who are at risk of HIV infection. The programme has so far benefitted a total of 196,873 girls in Mbeya from 2021 to 2024.

She commended HJFMRI for empowering girls, noting that the machines valued at 500,841,000/- which have been given to the girls will enable them to have sustainable income sources, thus avoiding risky behaviours that increase the likelihood of HIV infection.

“These machines will enhance the quality of the products the girls create as part of their economic empowerment. Regional authorities should help them in looking for markets within and outside our country,” she said.

The donations include bread and cake baking machines, refrigerators, animal feed production machines, cement mixers, rice planting and harvesting machines, music equipment, sewing machines for making wigs, and shoe-making machines

Alick Kayange, Acting Resident Director, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - Department of Defence (WRAIR DOD), said they work with the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in supporting HJFMRI whereas 200,000 adolescent girls and young women have benefitted with various economic empowerment projects.

Dr Kayange said: “It is almost ten years now since the US government announced commencement of the DREAMS project in 15 countries that were much affected by HIV/Aids infection, including Tanzania. This project was introduced due to the fact that 74 percent of HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa occur in adolescent girls.”

Fatma Toufiq, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Welfare and Community Development, said there is every reason to empower young girls so that they are confident and able to make informed decisions.

“Many girls and women experience violence due to their poor economic conditions. Once empowered, girls can be in a position to make informed decisions before engaging in sexual relationships with men,” she said.

HJFMRI Executive Director Sally Chalamila said apart from being provided with the machines to manufacture a number of goods, the beneficiary girls were given land to conduct cocoa farming to produce raw material to make chocolates.

“We can hardly reach the set targets in 2030 if all the adolescent girls and young women are not aware of their HIV status,” said Chalamila.