Deadline: 14 February 2011
Call for article contributions for young women first! – A SAfAIDS Bi-annual SRHR Newsletter
The Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) calls for article submissions for the second edition of Young Women First!, a bi-annual sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) newsletter that is published under the The Umbrella magazines flagship. Young Women First! is targeted at providing relevant, simple and accessible SRHR information for young women and girls (aged 15-24 years) in southern Africa. The newsletter also aims to empower young women to make good decisions about their lives by providing them with a platform to ask questions, develop solutions and air their views around various SRHR issues and challenges.
Some suggestions of articles and contributions for this edition are:
- First-hand articles, written by young women themselves, covering personal experiences around a particular SRHR issue, e.g. puberty, sex, sexuality, gender discrimination, virginity testing, abortion, female genital mutilation, marriage or rape.
- Articles around (positive) traditional processes and practices that uphold the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young women
- Maternal and child health and sexual health
- SRHR and HIV
- Reproductive health medical procedures and initiatives
- Country specific personal stories exploring ease of access to SRHR services and rights for young/or migrant /or refugee/or lesbian women in different southern African countries
- Male perspectives on the importance of upholding the SRHR of women
- Questions on health-related issues that can be answered in the newsletter’s Q and A section, ‘From Sister Dee To Me’
- Cross regional articles addressing successes or challenges in SRHR policy development, implementation and advocacy in southern Africa
- Capacity development articles highlighting past SRHR training events, workshops or conferences, and how these have been beneficial to young women
- Details of any forthcoming SRHR- related events, workshops or conferences that are open to young women’s participation
- Poetry, stories, art and abstracts of drama scripts
Articles are NOT limited by the suggestions above; unique/alternative issues, topics and interventions that relate to the SRHR needs of young women in southern Africa will also be considered. We also re-emphasise that content should be packaged in a manner that is interesting and easily accessible to young women, the primary target audience of the publication.
A small honorarium is offered for articles submitted and used.
SAfAIDS will publish Young Women First! Edition Two in April of 2011. We thus request that articles of not more than 2,000 words, on a range of SRHR issues be submitted to The Editor, Young Women First at youngwomenfirst@safaids.net no later than the 14th of February, 2011.
High resolution pictures to illustrate the articles would also be appreciated. SAfAIDS requires that consent be given for the use of photographs, so a consent form will be sent and needs to be signed
Closing Date: 14 February 2011