About us
Background
African Youth Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN), launched in 2005 to increase meaningful youth participation in Africa’s development, In 2009, (Pre Youth -SAHARA meeting), the Eastern and Southern Africa AfriYAN Networks members mandated Southern African Youth Movement (SAYM) to serve as AfriYAN’s Secretariat in Eastern and Southern Africa for a period of 3 years. SAYM had committed to facilitate the work of the AfriYAN Secretariat with the various sub-regional networks, promoting information sharing between the networks and support the main Secretariat in its capacity building efforts for the national networks.
Vision of the network
The vision of AfriYAN is that of youth committed in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the promotion of youth sexual and reproductive health as a bridge integrating the other health and development issues in Africa.
Mission of AfriYAN:
AfriYAN sets as a mission to gather all the development national Networks.
The main mission of the Network is the work through its members to create an enabling environment for the promotion of an effective participation of adolescents and youth in the fight against HIV/AIDS, poverty, unemployment, gender related inequalities and iniquities, and for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health.
Main objectives:
o Coordinate the action of the member networks ;
o Build the organizational and institutional capacities of member networks;
o Promote the capacity building of African youth by African youth;
o Contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the ICPD’s action plan;
o Mobilize resources for the implementation of action plans and programs of fight against HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and at risk abortions among youth, as well as the other problems related to population and/or health that jeopardize youth harmonious development;
o Promote and support the integration of gender issues in the development policies, programs and projects;
o Contribute to the implementation of policies and programs supporting vocational training and youth access to employment, for an effective fight against poverty at the national level;
o Build the capacities of its members in management and leadership in the domain of HIV/AIDS control, sexual and reproductive health, communication for behaviour change, advocacy and mobilization of resources;
o Ensure the follow up and evaluation of programs and policies for youth.
o AfriYAN should contribute to the work and ensures the implementation of the African Youth Charter.
Domains of intervention:
o The fight against HIV/AIDS and STI;
o The promotion of youth and adolescents sexual and reproductive health and generally any youth health related issue;
o The promotion of youth education and schooling;
o The fight against the degradation of the environment under all its aspects;
o The promotion and the citizen participation of youth to local and continental development;
o The fight against poverty in youth environment.
Organizational Structure
The network is organized according to three geographical levels as follows: the national, the sub-regional and African levels.
o The national level
It is made up of the national network that is founding member or member become party to AfriYAN; it is extended to affiliated networks of the member network in the national territory.
o The sub-regional level
It is made up of national networks of the sub-regions of Central Africal, Eastern Africa, Western Africa, Northern Africa and Southern Africa.
Composition
o Youth national networks or youth actions national coordination, legally established and that work in the domain of HIV/AIDS control, sexual and reproductive health Population and Development and that totally become party to the provisions of these statutes and rules of procedures can be members of AfriYAN.
o Private individuals cannot be members of AfriYAN. Only the national networks can be member in the limit of one (01) network per country; the membership of any other network of the same country is made through its membership to the sole member network of AfriYAN.
Beneficiaries
The primary beneficiaries of the AfriYAN are youth people between the ages of 15 and 29 at the national level while the secondary beneficiaries will be youth from the wider community, with special focus on those most at risk of new HIV infections including young women, sex workers, IDUs, youth with disabilities, youth living in hot spots as well as youth already living with HIV and AIDS and MSM. Tertiary beneficiaries will comprise of policymakers, programme planners, media, and service providers.
