UNAIDS - Brave Girl Rising and Dignitaries Panel

                        On 27th November 2019, UNAIDS and the Permanent Missions of Mexico and The Netherlands organised the screening of a documentary known as Brave Girl Rising. it was based on the true story of a young and brave Sudanese girl growing up at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, East Africa. The documentary illustrated the conditions young girls must go through in order to survive one of the harshest environments for anyone their age. Staff from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations (UN) and other UN agencies were present.

        It was followed by a panel discussion immediately afterwards involving Mary Maker, a young Sudanese woman who grew up and spent many years in the same refugee camp. Fortunately, she received a scholarship to study in the USA. Other panelists included Ambassadeur Raul Heredia of Mexico, Monique T. G. Van Daalen of The Netherlands, Ms. Margarida Rosa Da Silva Isata of Angola, and Claudia Garcia-Moreno, a medical officer at WHO. It was moderated by Shannon Hader, UNAIDS Deputy-Executive Director of Programmes.



                 Mary Maker (holding microphone) airs her experiences and views 
     

                              It was part of the "16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" following the "International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women" on 25th November. It was a unique event that carries the lines of hope against injustices towards girls, young women and women that still continues worldwide.