CAMEROON – UNAIDS EDUCATION PLUS INITIATIVE

EMPOWERING ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN AND ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY IN CAMEROON

Prof. NALOVA LYONGA, Minister of Secondary Education, granted an audience on Thursday 20 July 2023 to the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Madam Winnie BYANYIMA at the Distance Education Centre in Yaoundé.

This audience held in the Presence of Mr BAYAOLA Boniface (MINESEC Secretary of State) and Prof. NKOT Fabien (MINESEC Secretary General) was the ground to review the situation of AIDS in Cameroon, in relation to girls and women in particular. It was an opportunity to discuss the Education plus initiative, a high-profile, high-level political advocacy drive to accelerate actions and investments to prevent HIV, centred on the empowerment of adolescent girls and young women and the achievement of gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa—with secondary education as the strategic entry point.

This strategic entry point in Cameroon is under the supervision of Prof. NALOVA LYONGA who considers gender equality a priority. Her Clean School policy is a tool used to achieve this goal. She considers toilets (hygiene and sanitation) a key element motivating girls to go to school: they are more comfortable in a clean environment (with clean toilets…). Concerning the fight against HIV/AIDS, various actions have been carried out by the MINESEC.

Dr MAINDURYANG Épse WANYANG Madeleine, Head of the Sub-Department of Health and Extracurricular Activities at MINESEC, in her presentation during this working session, pinpointed the various aspects of the fight against HIV/AIDS and the activities carried out by MINESEC to curb the pandemic. She went on to present some challenges and the way to overcome them. Among the actions carried out by the MINESEC are the introduction of sensitization on HIV/AIDS into students’ curriculum and the activities carried out with various partners (UNICEF, UNESCO, CIRCB, CAMNAFAW...).

The Executive Director of UNAIDS Praised the efforts carried out by the Government of Cameroon and the Ministry of secondary Education in favour of the fight against HIV/AIDS: ‘Cameroon has been doing very well in fighting HIV/AIDS’. According to Madam Winnie BYANYIMA, since 2010, Cameroon has been reducing death linked to HIV/AIDS to more than 60%. Yet she underlined that more efforts need to be undertaken regarding young girls, who are more infected than young boys. In her opinion, the safest place for a girl to avoid HIV/AIDS and early pregnancy is school, hence their will to help develop curricula on sexuality education and more.

ABILAMEKOU BADJEL Théodore

           SENIOR STAFF