Minha Kamba – co-creating a movement to approach sexual and reproductive health and rights for/with adolescent girls in Angola

"Kamba" means friend, confident in Angola. Having a "kamba" to talk and trust is a way to cope with the several challenges faced by adolescent's girls – economic factors and gender-discriminatory social norms that are traditionally and culturally based continue to limit girls' agency and bodily autonomy and affect their ability to make choices and be treated as equal members of their families and communities. In 2024, a movement initiated to promote girls' rights and health in a wider perspective, based on a girl-to-girl programme in Viana municipality, the biggest and most vulnerable area from Luanda province. Two national civil society organizations (Mwana Pwo and Cuidados da Infancia) and government led the implementation, under an integrate support from UNICEF (Child Protection, Health, SBC). The movement co-created with adolescent girls engaged so far 200 girls that had their capacity developed on adolescent pregnancy and child marriage, 80 civil society organizations that work with adolescent girls at the national level, about 40 girls (different ages) that prototyped a 10-episode radiodrama to be broadcasted nationally, including the topic on the introduction of the HPV vaccine, and tailored posters for their schools, based on their drawings (HCD approach). A rapid assessment was implemented in two schools on the HPV vaccine acceptance (90% among 193 people). This peer-led approach fosters safe and empowering spaces where girls can express themselves freely, share experiences and access information and resources relevant to their lives to build resilience.