Project Profile: UNICEF Adolescents and Young Mothers (AYM)
1. Executive Summary
Launched in February 2025, the Adolescents and Young Mothers (AYM) Project is a critical HIV prevention and social protection initiative implemented by Coalition Health Zambia (CHZ). In close partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the project was designed to address the intersecting challenges of HIV vulnerability, early pregnancy, and economic instability among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), with a specific focus on pregnant and breastfeeding adolescents.
By integrating biomedical HIV prevention with structural economic interventions and social behavior change (SBC) communication, CHZ delivers a holistic “prevention package” that goes beyond the clinic walls to address the root causes of risk in the community.
2. Geographic and Operational Scope
The project is currently active in high-burden districts across Zambia, demonstrating CHZ’s ability to manage multi-provincial operations. Implementation sites include:
- Central Province: Kapiri Mposhi and Chibombo.
- Copperbelt Province: Masaiti.
- Southern & Western Regions: Chirundu, Kalomo, Sesheke, and Nchelenge.
This footprint places CHZ directly in the operational zones required by current major funding opportunities, proving our logistical capacity to deliver services in both peri-urban corridors (Kapiri Mposhi) and rural districts.
3. Technical Approach: The “Total Girl” Model
Our intervention strategy is built on three integrated pillars designed to support the adolescent mother holistically:
A. Biomedical Interventions & Clinical Linkage CHZ delivers an integrated package of high-impact HIV prevention and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) services.
- HIV Testing Services (HTS): We conduct targeted community-based testing to identify undiagnosed adolescents.
- PrEP & Prevention: We actively enroll negative adolescents on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and provide condom programming to reduce transmission risk.
- Adolescent-Friendly Health Services (AYFHS): Recognizing that stigma is a barrier to access, we work to embed these services within the public health system, ensuring referrals are seamless and treated with confidentiality.
B. Social and Behavior Change (SBC) & The “Mentor Mother” System To drive demand for these clinical services, CHZ utilizes the UNICEF Regional SBC Toolkit to adapt messaging to the local context.
- The Mentor Mother Model: A core component of our success is the deployment of “Mentor Mothers”—older, experienced peers who are trained to guide adolescent mothers through the health system. These mentors provide psychosocial support, helping beneficiaries navigate the complexities of early motherhood while adhering to HIV prevention protocols.
- Community Engagement: We engage traditional leaders and community gatekeepers to address harmful social norms and reduce the stigma surrounding adolescent sexual health, creating an enabling environment for young women to seek care.
C. Economic Strengthening & Resilience Recognizing that economic dependency is a primary driver of HIV risk for young mothers, the AYM Project integrates structural economic interventions.
- Livelihood Linkages: We connect beneficiaries to social protection opportunities and livelihood programs, aligned with national systems.
- Financial Literacy: By building life skills and financial literacy, we reduce the reliance of young mothers on transactional relationships, thereby directly lowering their exposure to HIV risk.
4. Performance & Impact Data (FY2025)
Since its launch in early 2025, the project has achieved rapid scale, exceeding donor targets across nearly all key performance indicators. This demonstrates CHZ’s capacity to mobilize communities and deliver “Direct Service Delivery” (DSD) targets efficiently.
- Reach & Linkage: We successfully paired 43,487 adolescents and young mothers with Mentor Mothers for linkage to HIV prevention services. This achievement represents 233% of the annual target, highlighting our massive community reach.
- HIV Testing Yield: CHZ tested 21,110 AGYW/AYM for HIV (117% of the annual target). From this cohort, we identified 203 HIV-positive adolescents (23% of target) and successfully linked them to antiretroviral therapy (ART).
- PrEP Scale-Up: We initiated 5,037 new adolescents on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), achieving 71% of the annual target in a short timeframe.
- Retention: Crucially, we supported 2,663 adolescents through PrEP continuation or re-initiation visits (125% of the annual target), proving our ability to retain young people in care despite the challenges they face.
5. Strategic Partnerships & Sustainability
Sustainability is woven into the project design through deep alignment with government structures.
- Government Integration: The project is implemented in close coordination with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development, and the Ministry of Local Government, ensuring that our interventions strengthen the existing health system rather than creating parallel structures.
- National Alignment: All interventions are aligned with the National AIDS/TB Council (NAC) strategic frameworks, ensuring that the gains made in ASRHR and economic resilience are institutionalized for the long term.
By combining high-volume clinical delivery with the “soft science” of behavioral change and economic empowerment, the UNICEF AYM project serves as a model for sustainable, community-led health programming in Zambia.