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Commitment to Youth
Toward the conclusion of the event, actress and Global Youth AIDS ambassador Ashley Judd spoke on several issues, including the importance of youth empowerment, stopping the spread of HIV, and managing the clean water crisis in the developing world. Joined onstage by three youth leaders from around the world, Birungi Alice Hope, Stellamaris Mualeh, and Andrew Francis, Judd spoke on the struggles girls in less developed countries face when living in poverty. Forced into the informal sector for employment, many labor for long hours with low wages and face daily exploitation.
"If we want a breakthrough, we have to change the choices for girls," Judd said. "Empowering adolescent girls is the key to ending poverty, not just for those individual girls, but for their families, communities, and nations." Judd also spoke on the devastation HIV has caused for women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To give a first-hand perspective, 23-year-old Birungi from Uganda described her work in preventing, treating, and supporting other HIV-positive women in her home country. As a counselor, Birungi has mobilized over 800 young women, helping them engage in activities to generate income and foster hope for the future. "In my country, as in many less developed countries, there's very little information on health in general and on HIV in particular," Birungi said. "But there is a real need to empower the women and girls of Uganda. There's nothing for us without us."
Judd added that education was the key to combating all aspects of the plight of women living in poverty. By spreading knowledge and information, she said, we can curtail preventable disease, HIV infections, and unwanted pregnancy due to sexual violence. After the reading of a quote from a Congolese victim of rape, Judd emphasized that sexual violence must be put to a halt. "Our eyes have been opened to how frequently rape is used as an instrument of war and armed conflict," she said. "Gender apartheid is happening, and we need to get real." Judd ended on a hopeful note, saying that "by taking action, we can ensure that women are able to live, learn, and achieve their future potential for years to come."
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