Annie Lennox to visit Waverley Care project in Malawi

On 18th February, Annie Lennox will have the opportunity to see, at first hand, the benefits of Waverley Care’s involvement in HIV support work in Malawi. Travelling to Malawi in her role as special envoy for the Scottish branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, she will meet representatives of YONECO, the national youth agency in Malawi with whom Waverley Care is working to deliver the Yankhulani (Speak Out) project.

The Yankhulani project has, in its three year history, made significant progress in increasing the numbers of young people who access information about HIV and broader sexual health issues, through offering drop-in sexual health services, peer education and small business training.

Waverley Care’s role has been in planning and project management, establishing and delivering training, supporting staff and undertaking monitoring and evaluation. This project is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered with assistance from interact Worldwide.

Speaking of her visit to Malawi, where she will visit a number of projects which have benefited from Scottish links, Annie Lennox said:

"AIDS is the biggest global killer of women of reproductive age. In Malawi, one in 14 people is living with the disease, which remains the country's leading cause of death in adults. In spite of this, the stigma of HIV in many countries is still so great that many people remain too afraid to talk about the issue or disclose they are infected.

 

To have the opportunity to travel to Malawi to meet individuals and groups and help to encourage them to find ways of breaking down stigma, increase access to treatment, and improve prevention initiatives is a real, real honour for me."