DREAMS

  • P Project/Program

A Active

Key Information

The DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) partnership is an ambitious public-private partnership aimed at reducing rates of HIV among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the highest HIV burden countries. DREAMS was announced on World AIDS Day 2014, and in 2015 USAID began activities in ten countries in sub-Saharan Africa: eSwatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These countries accounted for nearly half of all the new HIV infections that occurred among AGYW globally.

Adolescent girls and young women account for 74 percent of new HIV infections among all adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and nearly 1,000 AGYW are infected with HIV every day. Social isolation, poverty, discriminatory cultural norms, orphanhood, gender-based violence, and inadequate schooling all contribute to their vulnerability to HIV and a life not lived to its full potential. The DREAMS partnership goes beyond individual health initiatives to address these factors, working toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goal of ending AIDS by 2030. In 2017, DREAMS expanded to five new countries: Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Rwanda, and Namibia. In 2020, South Sudan began to implement two components of the DREAMS package of services, Violence Prevention and Economic Strengthening.

The DREAMS core package aims to:

  • empower adolescent girls and young women and reduce risk through youth-friendly reproductive health care and social asset building;
  • mobilize communities for change with school- and community-based HIV and violence prevention;
  • reduce risk of sex partners through PEPFAR programming, including HIV testing, treatment, and voluntary medical male circumcision; and
  • strengthen families with social protection (education subsidies, combination socio-economic approaches) and parent/caregiver programs.

Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

Global, Latin America & Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa

Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Activity URL

https://www.usaid.gov/global-health/health-areas/hiv-and-aids/technical-areas/dreams

Government Affiliation

Government-affiliated program

Years

2015 -

Partner(s)

African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership (ACHAP), Family Health International 360 - Advancing Partners and Communities (FHI360-APC), Government of Botswana, University of Maryland (BUMMHI), University of Washington (I-TECH), Project Concern International (PCI), PNOEV, JHPIEGO, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, MEASURE Evaluation, Pact, Population Services International, John Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Columbia University, John Snow, Inc. , University Research Co., University of North Carolina - MEASURE Evaluation, Dexis Consulting Group, Caris Foundation, Partners in Health, UGP/MSPP, GHESKIO, Impact Research and Development Organization (IRDO), American International Health Alliance (AIHA), LVCT-Health (DARAJA), LVCT-Health (STEPS), Global Communities, Afya Jijini - IMA World Health, Henry Jackson Foundation (HJF), HSDA/Nyanza, HSDA/Central- Eastern, Afya Pwani, HOPE Worldwide Kenya (HWWK), MWENDO, NILINDE, CASE_OVC, Jhpiego, Banja La Mtsologo/SIFPO 2, JHU CCP/One Community Project, Save the Children/ASPIRE, FHI 360/LINKAGES Project, JPHIEGO Gateway, Peace Corps (Volunteer District Coordinators), Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Columbia University - ICAP, Friends in Global Health, Institution Nacional de Saude, World Vision- SCIP Zambezia, Jhpiego, Ariel Foundation, Community based services for Southern Region, I-Tech, Project HOPE Namibia, African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE), Caritas Rwanda, Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB), Global Communities (GC), Society for Family Health (SFH), Centre for Communication Impact, Health Systems Trust, Maternal, Adolescents and Child Health Systems, Foundation for Professional Development, Witkoppen, Right to Care, Anova, Shout It Now, TB/HIV Care Association, The Networking HIV and AIDS Community of South Africa, Children in Distress Network, HIV South Africa, National Association of Child Care Workers, AIDS Foundation of South Africa, Kheth'Impilo*, Community Media Trust*, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute*, South Africa Partners*, MEASURE Evaluation*, Henry Jackson Foundation, Jhpiego, Sauti, Management and Development for Health, Ariel Glaser Pediatric AIDS Healthcare Initiative, PACT, Tanzania Commission for AIDS, National AIDS Control Program (Reproductive Child Health Services), University California San Francisco (UCSF), Columbia University (ICAP), Uganda School Health and Reading Program, Makerere University Walter Reed Project, AVSI Foundation Uganda, Cardno Emerging Markets (SDS), Mildmay Uganda, Makerere University School of Public Health/ Rakai, Health Sciences Program, Makerere School of Public Health, Afenet, University Research Council (ASSIST), John Snow Inc (RHITES Lango), University Research Corporation, LLC (RHITES Acholi), Pact (Zambia Community HIV Prevention Project), JSI (DISCOVER-Health), Expanded Church Response (Zambia Family), Peace Corps, University Teaching Hospital, TBD- GBV community mobilization/response services, Family AIDS Caring Trust, International Training and Education Center for Health, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation˙

Ministry Affiliation

Unknown

Funder(s)

Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare

COVID-19 Response

Adapted

Geographic Scope

Global / regional

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Post-secondary
  • Primary to secondary transition
  • Secondary completion

Other

  • Transition from school to work

Other skills

  • Financial literacy
  • Life skills/sexuality education
  • Rights/empowerment education

Quality

  • School-related gender-based violence

Cross-cutting areas

  • Economic/livelihoods (including savings/financial inclusion, etc.)
  • Empowerment
  • Gender equality
  • HIV and STIs
  • Masculinities/boys
  • Menstrual hygiene management
  • Other aspects of sexual and reproductive health
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs
  • Violence (at home, in relationships)

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Community leaders, Girls (both in school and out of school), Youth

Age

10 - 24

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary
  • Vocational
  • Tertiary

Other populations reached

  • Fathers
  • Mothers
  • Other community members - female
  • Other community members - male

Participants include

Not applicable or unknown

Program Approaches Back to Top

Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization

  • Community mobilization

Health and childcare services

  • Condom distribution
  • HIV prevention
  • Sexual and reproductive health services (including family planning)

Life skills education

  • Sexual and reproductive health (including puberty education)

Menstrual hygiene management

  • Educating girls about menstruation
  • Raising awareness about menstruation (beyond just girls)
  • Sanitary product distribution

Other

  • Other activities to address/end violence (not captured above)

Social/gender norms change

  • Engaging parents/caregivers of students or school-age children/adolescents

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved critical thinking
  • Increased school completion (general)

Cross-cutting goals

  • Improved sexual and reproductive health
  • Increased agency and empowerment
  • Increased knowledge of HIV, puberty, and sexual and reproductive health
  • Reduced STI/HIV/AIDS