Survey: A Third of New HIV Infections Are on College-Going Students, Sponsor Culture To Blame

In the traditional setup, it was not only a crime but a shame for young ladies to engage in sexual relationships with older men and it was viewed as disgusting and uncouth. Decades on things have totally changed and today’s young women are taking pride in it.

The ‘sponsor’ trend, where older men support girls and young women’s lavish lifestyles in exchange for sex, may be contributing to high HIV infection among the youth. According to the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey, about a third of new infections are of persons aged 15-24 years. UNAIDS statistics say about 30,000 New infections registered annually amongst the youth.

The vulnerable age is the high school going, college and just graduated new in the market or jobless group. Talk to most young women nowadays they’ll shamelessly tell you they have one. In fact, the trend is such that they have a sponsor and a boyfriend. Sponsor to take care of her financial needs and the boyfriend for the emotional satisfaction it’s a bitter truth.

Here’s a young lady coming from a poor background no job going to school has an iPhone worth Sh. 80,000 lives in a posh apartment only use uber in some cases has a car. They’re living the lavish lifestyle courtesy of the sponsor. It’s a well-packaged form of prostitution.

It’s not only the ladies to be blamed for the sponsor culture even young men are going after older women to sponsor their lifestyle in exchange for sexual favours. Everybody is caught up in this thing. One common thing is protection is out of the question in sponsor sex, and they invest a lot in their baits to afford using condoms it’s the naked truth and primary factor behind the high HIV figures.

The link is even disturbing since the sponsor have their spouses they’re having sex with and so are the sponsored who have other partners they’re sleeping with. This generation needs prayers or rigid rules to deport all sponsors to Uranus or whichever planet but can that possibly happen? Guess not sponsor trend has many proponents. The sponsor culture is coming second after betting companies in employing young people in Kenya now and keeping them laughing and crying in alternation.