In the southern region of Angola, farmlands lie desolate; grazing animals have been replaced by decaying corpses, hunger is normal and thousands have moved from their homes to survive. The worst drought in four decades has destroyed 40 per cent of the region’s crops. Already, prone to cyclical droughts and floods, intensifying climate impacts have affected rainfall, prolonging the dry season and interrupting food production.

UNFPA responded to the humanitarian situation (cyclical drought) in the Southern provinces of Angola enabled by two key partnerships. Through a World Bank loan to the Government of Angola, administered by the Angolan Ministry of Health (MINSA), UNFPA purchased and distributed 50,000 dignity kits in Huila, Cunene, Namibe and Cuando-Cubango – the worst-affected provinces. At the same time, under the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), UNFPA reached over 143 000 people affected by the drought. The response included the distribution of 25,500 dignity kits to women and girls of reproductive age, 113 337 clean delivery kits to pregnant women and girls, and 60 birth attendant kits in health units. These kits are used for various procedures including births, treating sexually transmitted infections (STI) and treating sexual violations. To ensure an integrated humanitarian response, 780 community awareness sessions were held combining vital information on SRHR and GBV prevention. Notably, 5000 men and boys received key messages on GBV and SRHR-related issues.

Angola’s population is young. The most recent population data shows that 65.9 per cent are under 25 years of age while 46.4 per cent are under 15 years. To equip young people to make informed and positive sexual and reproductive health choices, the Angolan Government established the Informed, Responsible and Organized Youth Program (JIRO) in 1997.

In 2021, the JIRO Programme was expanded to 18 Provinces by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Between January and April 2021, 101 activists were trained and the JIRO program reached 56,792 young people across the country. By the end of the year, more than 100,000 adolescents and young people were reached with key messages on sexual and reproductive health, family planning, gender-based violence, HIV-AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and COVID-19. Realising the importance of consistent engagement with youth to bolster healthy choices, the Ministry of Youth and Sports in partnership with UNFPA and UNICEF, has also invested in mobile apps and technology including the SMS-Jovem/U-Report. The digital platform reaches young people and adolescents with life-saving information, to enable them to realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

During the pandemic in 2020, vulnerable women and girls faced constraints in accessing affordable menstrual products, with food being prioritized in the family budget. In this fragile context, UNFPA partnered with BeGirl Inc. to address menstrual health and hygiene. UNFPA and the BeGirl Inc. partnership trained 27 technicians (educators) from government institutions and civil society to provide menstrual health and sexual reproductive health educational workshops. Training sessions included other relevant topics such as body literacy, puberty and reproductive health, menstrual cycle, SmartCycle practice and self-care during menstruation. In addition, menstrual health products such as reusable period panties and tools to help participants track and understand cycles were distributed. During approximately fifty sessions, four thousand menstruation panties (two per girl) and four thousand menstrual clocks were distributed. Through the Ser Menina programme, 4,000 girls and boys were reached with educational information on menstrual health management and SRH in the provinces of Benguela, Cuanza Sul, Lunda Sul and Moxico.

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Women in Angola have an enormous impact on the well-being of their families and societies, yet their potential often remains unrealized because of discriminatory social norms, incentives, and legal institutions. Although their status has improved in recent decades, gender inequalities persist.

In 2021, the Ministry of Social Action, Family and Women Promotion (MASFAMU) with the support of UNFPA and UNDP started the process of creating the Angola Gender Observatory (OGA). The OGA will be the main national mechanism to track and report the progress on gender equality and gender equity; contribute to monitoring SDG 5 on Gender Equality but also gender-sensitive indicators across the SDGs and the National Development plan. This investment in gender statistics will close the large data gaps that prevent the successful monitoring of progress on regional and international instruments on gender equality.

At the country level, UNFPA works to strengthen the capacity of health and law enforcement services to address GBV. In response to the need for guidelines to respond to domestic violence, UNFPA supported the Ministry of Social Action, Family and Women's Promotion (MASFAMU) to develop a Handbook for Assistance to Victims of Domestic Violence. The handbook contains minimum requirements for intervention, monitoring and assistance to complainants. The guide is a vital component in strengthening the national response to combat GBV in line with Angola's regional and international commitments. The handbook will be ready for dissemination in 2022. In addition to the handbook, the CO further supported MASFAMU to revise the National Law against Domestic Violence. The updated version aligns with the newly approved Penal Code of Angola.

In addition to providing a responsive legal and health system, women's economic empowerment is an essential avenue for promoting gender equality and mitigating the risk of gender-based violence. Young women in particular are less likely to become involved in transactional and exploitative sexual relationships if they can earn an income on their own. In partnership with Lara Almeida, a Cape Verdean entrepreneur, UNFPA supported the training of 31 young women to produce reusable pads, create appropriate product branding, and market their products on social media.

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In 2021, UNFPA’s total investment in Angola was approximately USD 5,7 million. This included an investment of USD 3,1 million in regular resources and USD 2.5 million in other resources from donors. The UNFPA Angola CO enhanced its efforts to secure domestic financing for the ICPD agenda, by mobilising resources from the Government of Angola (GoA) to amplify the coverage of quality health services for women and girls in hard to reach areas. The CO successfully mobilized funds from the Ministry of Health through the World Bank as well as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the government’s humanitarian response in the southern region provinces.

The CO also supported implementing partners (IPs) to navigate through the challenges brought about by COVID-19, to deliver programme results including carrying out humanitarian interventions in drought-affected provinces. With movement restrictions, in-person training programs for UNFPA partners was no longer feasible. The challenge led to an innovative solution – a virtual training space. Based on the eLounge Platform, the online training reached a larger number of participants than would have been possible in a physical training. In addition to the training course sessions, UNFPA provided technical support webinars to guide participants on accessing and navigating the platform. Following the successful training, the Angola CO IP Training eLounge Platform won the Innovation Culture Award at the 2021 UNFPA Innovation Awards.

The generous support of our donors and the dedicated work of our partners continues to change the lives of women, girls and young people across Angola.