Addressing HIV in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Malawi

Despite being among the poorest countries in the world, Malawi is approaching its HIV treatment targets, and the possibility of controlling the epidemic is within reach. But Malawi also lays bare major challenges and gaps facing the HIV response, notably how to prevent HIV and address the HIV risks for adolescent girls and young women in low-resource settings.
 
This briefing paper provides an overview of the DREAMS program in Malawi, a public-private partnership led by PEPFAR; it discusses some of the major implementation opportunities and challenges, and concludes with implications for U.S. policy. At a time of constrained U.S. budgets, the new, comprehensive approaches to prevent HIV in adolescent girls and young women address a critical gap in efforts to curb the epidemic, and simultaneously could advance the economic and social progress for adolescent girls and young women, their families and communities.
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