Vibrant Young Voices Consortium: Transforming HIV Care for Youth in Africa

The Vibrant Young Voices (VYV) Consortium is a partnership between Y+ Global, Paediatric-Adolescent Treatment Africa (PATA), and the Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA). Focused on Africa, it aims to empower children, adolescents, and healthcare providers to deliver and access high-quality HIV care.

VYV uniquely integrates the voices of children, young people living with HIV (YPLHIV), and frontline health workers, bridging gaps between communities and healthcare systems to ensure diverse perspectives are represented in the pursuit of improved health outcomes.

During the 2022-2024 funding cycle VYV Consortium received $950 000 from the Robert Carr Fund.

 

 

Meet the Consortium Members

Y+ Global 

Region: Global, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa
Y+Global, the consortium lead, is the international network for young people living with HIV, advocating for their health rights and leadership. Y+Global champions the voices of adolescents and young adults living with HIV, ensuring they are meaningfully involved in the design and implementation of policies that affect their health and well-being.

 

Paediatric-Adolescent Treatment Africa (PATA)

Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
PATA connects healthcare workers across Africa, providing them with the tools, resources, and peer support needed to deliver comprehensive and stigma-free care to children and adolescents living with HIV. Through PATA, frontline health workers are empowered to collaborate, share best practices, and ensure that clinics and communities are equipped to meet the needs of young people affected by HIV.

 

Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA)  

Region: Global, with a focus on Africa
CCABA advocates for the needs of the most vulnerable children, including those affected by HIV, ensuring they are prioritised in global and national health policies. CCABA mobilises policymakers, donors, and practitioners to address the intersecting challenges these children face, such as poverty, discrimination, and the absence of adequate care services.

 

Consortium Objectives
The VYV Consortium is driven by the belief that a holistic and collaborative approach, focusing on:

• Ensuring that children affected by HIV receive the care, support, and protection they need. VYV pushes for policies that address their specific needs and values them as important voices in the fight against HIV.
• Encouraging adolescents and young people living with HIV to take the lead in shaping the services they use. VYV works to amplify their voices at local, national, and global levels.
• Supporting healthcare workers to provide kind, youth-friendly, and stigma-free care. VYV helps clinics and health systems improve services for children and young people.
• Emphasizing the need for services that address not only HIV but also the broader social, mental, and emotional needs of young people.

Projects & Milestones

Y+ Global has worked closely with the Youth Advisory Group (YAG), creating opportunities for young people to lead critical activities and discussions, such as focus group discussions with LGBTQI+ communities and Twitter Spaces on ethical youth engagement. These platforms have opened new spaces for young leaders to advocate for their health and rights, share knowledge and experiences with a broader audience, and amplify the implementation of their voices.

In 2023, VYV launched the “Engage Us: Our Health, Our Rights” campaign to empower children, young people, and healthcare workers to advocate for accessible, stigma-free HIV services. The campaign featured YouTube videos of the Youth Advisory Group discussing youth involvement in HIV response with healthcare providers, UN colleagues, and local government. An art competition invited young people to illustrate youth engagement, with ten entries displayed at the Y+ Global booth at ICASA 2023, highlighting youth-led advocacy.

CCABA has worked tirelessly to bring the voices of the most vulnerable children into global health discussions, advocating for policy changes that ensure comprehensive care for those affected by HIV, including children orphaned by AIDS and those living in extreme poverty.
For more information, visit Consortium’s web page.