Introduction: We Cannot Afford to Wait
Burundi has made important progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but the progress achieved over the years should not create a false sense of security. HIV remains a public-health issue that requires continuous prevention, accurate information, early testing, treatment literacy, stigma reduction and meaningful involvement of young people.
For Burundi Elderly Home Care (BEHC), the need to strengthen HIV/AIDS sensitization among young people is becoming increasingly important. BEHC believes that young people must not simply be treated as recipients of health messages; they should be empowered to become informed decision-makers, peer educators, community advocates and leaders in the HIV response.
This concern is supported by Burundi’s own HIV-response experience. A UNAIDS report on Burundi’s 2022–2023 response found that more than 50,000 adolescents and young people accessed HIV prevention and testing information and/or services through a peer-led initiative, while nearly 7,400 of those reached subsequently accessed voluntary HIV testing and counselling. This demonstrates both the demand for youth-focused interventions and the potential of peer-led approaches.
At the same time, the HIV response in Burundi has faced serious financing and service-delivery pressures. UNAIDS reported in April 2025 that funding disruptions created an immediate US$6.44 million input gap, affecting areas including HIV prevention, testing, PrEP, condoms, treatment-related commodities and community services.
This is precisely why we cannot sit and watch. We must act.
Why Young People Must Be at the Centre of the HIV Response
Young people between adolescence and early adulthood experience a period of significant physical, emotional and social development. They are making decisions that can affect their health for decades to come.
For some young people, however, access to accurate HIV information remains inadequate. Others may receive information through social media, friends or informal sources that can contain myths, misinformation or incomplete explanations.
Burundi’s previous national HIV strategy identified young people aged 15–24 as a vulnerable population, highlighting concerns about declining comprehensive HIV knowledge, low condom use among some young people, limited access to HIV prevention and support services, and lower HIV testing compared with adults.
Although circumstances and data have evolved since that strategy, the lesson remains relevant: young people require accessible, age-appropriate, evidence-based and continuous HIV education.
The solution is not simply to tell young people to “avoid HIV.” The response must give them the knowledge and practical tools necessary to protect themselves and others.
HIV Awareness Must Go Beyond Traditional Sensitization
An effective youth HIV programme should not consist only of occasional public meetings or distribution of posters.
Young people need opportunities to ask questions, discuss concerns and receive reliable information in an environment where they feel respected and safe.
A comprehensive programme should address:
1. HIV Prevention
Young people should understand how HIV is transmitted and how transmission can be prevented. Prevention education should be scientifically accurate, culturally appropriate and presented without fear-based messaging.
2. HIV Testing
Knowing one’s HIV status is an important component of prevention and treatment. Young people should understand where testing is available, why testing matters and how confidentiality and counselling work.
3. Treatment Literacy
HIV is not the death sentence it was once considered to be. With effective treatment and appropriate medical care, people living with HIV can live healthy and productive lives.
Young people need to understand the importance of treatment adherence, medical follow-up and viral suppression.
4. Fighting HIV-Related Stigma
Stigma can discourage people from seeking HIV testing, treatment and support.
Youth programmes should therefore promote compassion, accurate knowledge and respect for people living with HIV.
5. Peer Education
Young people often listen to other young people in ways that they may not listen to traditional authority figures.
The UNAIDS Youth Programme itself emphasises young people as beneficiaries, partners and leaders in the HIV response, including through youth leadership and participation.
BEHC therefore believes that trained youth peer educators should be an important component of Burundi’s future HIV awareness efforts.
Why BEHC Is Taking This Issue Seriously
Burundi Elderly Home Care was established with a commitment to protecting vulnerable people and promoting health, dignity and community well-being. Although BEHC’s principal mission focuses on older persons, the organization recognises that the health of older people cannot be separated from the health of the younger generations who will eventually become caregivers, parents, professionals, community leaders and policymakers.
Prevention must begin before a health crisis reaches vulnerable families.
BEHC therefore sees youth HIV/AIDS awareness as an opportunity to strengthen communities across generations.
The organization’s founder, Rubashamuheto Jesus-Marie, brings specific professional preparation to this area. He has undertaken specialised HIV/AIDS training and holds a Diploma in HIV/AIDS Counselling and Management, in addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health Science and a Master’s degree in Public Health.
His professional background has strengthened his understanding of HIV counselling, public health, prevention, community health and health education.
For him, this is not simply an academic subject.
It is a public-health responsibility.
When young people lack reliable information, when misinformation spreads, when stigma prevents testing, or when prevention services become difficult to access, remaining silent is not an acceptable response.
A Programme Designed for Burundi’s Young People
BEHC believes Burundi needs a renewed and comprehensive youth HIV/AIDS sensitization initiative that can reach young people where they live, study and interact.
The proposed approach could include:
Community HIV Awareness Sessions
BEHC could organise structured awareness sessions in communities, schools, youth groups and other appropriate settings, working in coordination with relevant health authorities and qualified professionals.
Youth Peer Educator Training
Selected young people could be trained as peer educators and equipped with accurate information, communication skills and referral knowledge.
They could then become trusted sources of information within their communities.
HIV Testing Referral and Linkage
The programme could connect young people with existing qualified health facilities and HIV testing services rather than attempting to duplicate clinical services.
Digital HIV Awareness
Young people increasingly obtain information through digital platforms. BEHC could develop educational content for social media, WhatsApp, community radio and other accessible communication channels.
Anti-Stigma Campaigns
Messages should challenge misconceptions and encourage communities to treat people living with HIV with dignity and respect.
Girls and Young Women
Special attention should be given to adolescent girls and young women. Globally, UNAIDS estimates that in 2024 more than 210,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 acquired HIV, demonstrating that young women remain an important priority in the global HIV response.
Youth-Friendly Dialogue
Young people should have spaces where they can ask questions without embarrassment or fear of judgement.
The Programme Should Reach Beyond Bujumbura
The HIV challenge cannot be addressed only in urban centres.
Burundi needs approaches that can reach young people in different provinces and communities, taking into account differences in access to health services, education, transportation, technology and information.
BEHC therefore envisions a programme that can progressively expand through partnerships with:
- Schools and educational institutions;
- Universities and colleges;
- Youth associations;
- Community-based organizations;
- Health facilities;
- Local authorities;
- Faith-based organizations;
- Community leaders;
- Youth networks;
- People living with HIV;
- Public-health professionals;
- National and international NGOs;
- UN agencies and development partners.
The objective should be to build a network rather than conduct isolated awareness events.
Why Investment Is Urgently Needed
HIV prevention requires sustained investment.
The global HIV response has achieved major progress, but UNAIDS reports that funding pressures are threatening prevention and community-led services. In Burundi specifically, recent funding disruptions have already affected prevention and other HIV services.
This makes support for locally rooted organizations and community initiatives especially important.
Investment in youth HIV education is not simply expenditure on meetings, transport, posters or training.
It is an investment in:
knowledge.
prevention.
healthy families.
productive communities.
future generations.
Every young person who receives accurate information can potentially become an additional source of accurate information for friends, family and community members.
BEHC Is Calling for Partnerships
BEHC is therefore calling upon international donors, foundations, UN agencies, bilateral development partners, private companies, philanthropic organizations, health institutions and responsible individual donors to consider supporting a youth HIV/AIDS sensitization and awareness programme in Burundi.
We are particularly interested in partnerships that can provide:
- Financial support;
- Technical assistance;
- HIV education materials;
- Training for peer educators;
- Monitoring and evaluation support;
- Digital communication expertise;
- Testing and referral partnerships;
- Research collaboration;
- Youth engagement expertise;
- Capacity-building for community organizations.
BEHC is prepared to work with qualified partners and relevant authorities to ensure that any intervention is evidence-based, ethical, youth-friendly, measurable and aligned with Burundi’s public-health priorities.
Our Founder Cannot Simply Watch
The founder’s professional background in HIV/AIDS counselling and management, environmental health and public health gives BEHC a particular perspective on prevention.
He has seen how health problems can affect individuals, families and entire communities.
Therefore, when there is an opportunity to prevent suffering through education and awareness, action should not be postponed until the problem becomes more difficult and expensive to address.
The founder’s conviction is straightforward:
If we can educate a young person today, we may prevent an HIV infection tomorrow. If we can replace misinformation with knowledge, we strengthen an entire community.
This is why BEHC wants to contribute to a stronger youth HIV response in Burundi.
A Call to Action
Burundi’s young people are not merely the future of the country.
They are the country today.
Their health, knowledge and ability to make informed decisions will directly influence Burundi’s social and economic development.
The country has already demonstrated that youth-focused and peer-led HIV interventions can reach tens of thousands of young people. The challenge now is to sustain, expand and strengthen those efforts.
BEHC believes that waiting for another crisis is not an option.
We need stronger awareness.
We need youth participation.
We need evidence-based education.
We need accessible prevention information.
We need stronger partnerships.
And we need sustainable investment.
BEHC is ready to act.
With appropriate technical and financial support, BEHC is prepared to work with relevant stakeholders to develop and implement a structured Youth HIV/AIDS Sensitization and Awareness Programme for Burundi, beginning with communities where the need is greatest and expanding progressively through partnerships.
The goal is not simply to conduct campaigns.
The goal is to build a generation of young Burundians who are informed, empowered, responsible and capable of protecting their own health and contributing to the health of their communities.
The time to invest in prevention is now.
The time to empower Burundi’s youth is now.
The time to act on HIV/AIDS awareness is now.
Burundi Elderly Home Care (BEHC) stands ready to partner with organizations that share this vision and are willing to invest in a healthier, better-informed and more resilient generation of young Burundians.