When classes finish at Francisco Manyanga Secondary School in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, most teachers and students head for the bus while others walk home. Júlia*, 16, a 10th-grade student, gets into a luxury car, where a man who looks to be in his 40s waits for her. The man is not her father, but her boyfriend, Lucas*. Most inter-generational relationships in Mozambique involve an older man and a teenage girl, said Marcelo Kantu, a programme official and activist from the reproductive hea more...

The warning posters start at the airport in the capital, Antananarivo, informing visitors that Madagascar says 'NO to sex tourism' and 'Malagasy women are not tourist souvenirs'. Large billboards notifying arrivals that the authorities will also prosecute those caught having sex with children line the route into the city, and at tourist hotels - along with a colourful 'Welcome to Madagasikara – the land of the lemurs' - there is likely to be a sign saying the hotel has a right to check the age more...

Around the world an estimated 3,500 girls under the age of 15 become child brides every day. The consequences of such early marriages, according to a new report by the Christian organisation, World Vision, include an increased risk of HIV and maternal death, an abrupt end to a girl's education and a greater chance of violence and abuse.

This document outlines the DFID MSP project in Eastern Cape, South Africa and its objectives, rationale and activities. The aim of the project was to develop a school-based care and support system for OVC through engaging OVC carers, cluster managers and Health Advisory Committees in 100 primary schools in Eastern Cape.

AIDS-related deaths in Malawi have dropped by 75 percent over the last four years, thanks to the availability of free antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, but better nutrition for people living with HIV would further lower the figure, officials have said.

Acute poverty is forcing girls as young as 14 into early marriage and sex work in parts of northern Uganda affected by the war, says a new report by local NGOs.A combination of extreme poverty, a large number of child-headed households, and the high mobility of internally displaced families are among the factors that have led to girls being subjected to sexual abuse or engaging in sex work, according to the Gulu Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO) and more...

Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, just outside the port city of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal Province, has one of South Africa's busiest maternity wards. About 1,200 women a month give birth here, of which about 40 percent are HIV-positive, according to figures from the antenatal clinic.

In a country where male circumcision – and its cultural connotations – have been the stuff of contention, a pilot project has been launched to roll out the HIV/AIDS prevention method. Watch as two young boys and their community take the plunge and go under the knife in a procedure that could become the future of AIDS prevention.

The Department of Education first acknowledged its role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in 1997. Five years later, in 2002, it introduced South Africa's first LO (Life Orientation) curriculum. "In developing the curriculum we looked at what other countries were doing, and we looked at what our kids needed in terms of things like HIV, career skills and life skills," said Penny Vinjevold, deputy director-general of further education and trai more...