The Girl Child Initiatives in the Spell of HIV/AIDS: Some Reflections on the Southern Africa Development Community's Experience

George Kararach, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

The paper seeks to explore the global girl initiatives in the SADC region. It argues that the initiatives have more urgency in the SADC region if the spread of HIV/AIDS is to be contained and reversed. But the initiatives are meeting considerable challenges in the forms of rigid institutions, rising poverty and the HIV/AIDS scourge. The paper outlines the various actions taken by different agencies (communities, NGO, governments) in relations to the girl child in the region and gauges any successes. It concludes by identifying areas where further actions are required to meet the challenges head-on.