She has always been shy and withdrawn, preferring to sit quietly at her school desk and stay invisible. Even if she knew the answers to questions, she had never dared to raise her hand and answer them, because she was afraid to be wrong. However, since she became a volunteer at Y-PEER Moldova, a youth network, supported by UNFPA, which promotes youth participation through peer education on healthy life styles, Adelina’s life has changed. She is not afraid anymore to express herself; she is more courageous and more self-confident.

Adelina is 16 and lives in Balti town, Northern Moldova. She has been a member of Y-PEER since early 2017. She learned about this network of young people from a school peer and decided to try her powers. She learned about her body and healthy behaviours and relationships, negotiation skills and how to make right decisions. She was empowered and excited to share the knowledge with other girls, just like her, to make their lives safer.

Supervised by teachers, Adelina brings powerful examples and useful information about healthy life styles to her peers. ‘My group is attended by pupils from 7 to 12 grades. They listen to me attentively, even if they are older than me’, she says.

The young girl has big plans for her own life and helps her friends to dream big too.  She wants to bring a change in their lives. ‘You know, we are used to complain, but I think it’s more important to find solutions. If we fight for our rights all together, including for the right to health and education, then we will see the change. I say ‘yes’ to this change and I invite all my peers to join me’, says confidently Adelina.   

She has always been shy and withdrawn, preferring to sit quietly at her school desk and stay invisible. Even if she knew the answers to questions, she had never dared to raise her hand and answer them, because she was afraid to be wrong. However, since she became a volunteer at Y-PEER Moldova, a youth network, supported by UNFPA, which promotes youth participation through peer education on healthy life styles, Adelina’s life has changed. She is not afraid anymore to express herself; she is more courageous and more self-confident.

Adelina is 16 and lives in Balti town, Northern Moldova. She has been a member of Y-PEER since early 2017. She learned about this network of young people from a school peer and decided to try her powers. She learned about her body and healthy behaviours and relationships, negotiation skills and how to make right decisions. She was empowered and excited to share the knowledge with other girls, just like her, to make their lives safer.

Supervised by teachers, Adelina brings powerful examples and useful information about healthy life styles to her peers. ‘My group is attended by pupils from 7 to 12 grades. They listen to me attentively, even if they are older than me’, she says.

The young girl has big plans for her own life and helps her friends to dream big too.  She wants to bring a change in their lives. ‘You know, we are used to complain, but I think it’s more important to find solutions. If we fight for our rights all together, including for the right to health and education, then we will see the change. I say ‘yes’ to this change and I invite all my peers to join me’, says confidently Adelina.   

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Over one million of young people live in Moldova; one in three persons is aged 15-34 years;
• Only a quarter of sexually active young people aged 15-24 used a condom;
• Only 1/3 of young people have comprehensive knowledge about HIV;
• Six out of ten people infected with sexually transmitted diseases are young people in the age group of 15-29 years;
• Every year, about 2,500 adolescent girls aged 15-19 years become mothers, which is two times higher compared to EU countries;
• One abortion in ten is made in young girls aged 15-19 years, and the situation has not changed during the last decade.