A new study conducted by the Makerere University School of Public Health has unveiled that the substantial financial investment, amounting to billions, in social interventions aimed at safeguarding girls and young women from HIV has not yielded the desired results.
The Global Fund, in an initiative to promote girls’ education, allocated a substantial sum of seven billion shillings ($1,831,214) to the Ministry of Education. This fund was directed towards a school subsidies initiative, focusing on providing essential items such as sanitary pads. However, the study indicates that despite these efforts, the program has not been effective in preventing new infections among adolescent girls.
The assessment study, conducted in 2018 and repeated in 2023 across fourteen high HIV prevalence districts in Ankole, Tooro, Teso, Bukedi, and Lango, evaluated various interventions, including social economic empowerment, behavior change communication, school items, and skills-based training.
Dr. Joseph Matovu, the Principal Investigator of the study, remarked, “These interventions worked, but there was no marginal improvement in the reduction of new infections. Infection rates were slightly higher than in areas that didn’t receive the necessities and money.”
Results from the study reveal an increase in HIV infection rates from 1% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2023 in the districts benefiting from the interventions, compared to an increase from 1.1% to 1.3% in non-intervention districts during the same period.
Researchers have raised concerns about the high budget allocated to the project, highlighting that the funds might not be efficiently supporting the intended number of girls. For example, the skills-based training reportedly incurred a cost of 1 million shillings per girl.
During the funding cycle ending this month, approximately 90,000 girls were reached with a budget of 2.5 billion, primarily allocated for the purchase of scholastic materials, pads, and undergarments. However, the study reveals discrepancies in the distribution frequency of these items, with some girls reporting receiving them only once every three months or, for others, once a year.
According to Matovu, in the initial round of funding, 374,000 shillings were spent on buying pads and undergarments for each girl, raising concerns about the consistency of supply and its impact on the program’s effectiveness.
In response to these concerns, Henry Ssemakula, an Official in the Ministry of Education, explained that the items are delivered annually, with the latest consignment flagged off in late November, just days before the official closure for the third term holidays. Despite the plan to provide sixty pads per girl for the entire year, the study indicates that these supplies may fall short of meeting the intended duration.