Health Education

Zuri Life’s health education program is built around a simple belief: when young people understand their bodies, they can better protect their futures.

On Mfangano Island, we are working to prevent HIV and reduce teen pregnancy by bringing honest, age-appropriate health education directly to adolescents ages 10–18. This is not a one-time presentation. We are planning to visit every single school on the island (34 in total) so that every child has access to the same life-saving information, no matter where they live or what resources their school has.

These talks will be led by our Community Health Coordinator, Veronica Aono. Veronica supports individuals in achieving optimal health through personalized, evidence-based nutrition, with formal training in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics and a certification in clinical nutrition. She also holds certification in Research and Good Clinical Practice (GCP), giving her a strong grounding in ethics, safety, and scientific rigor. That matters in a program like this, because we want every message we share to be accurate, responsible, and rooted in real evidence, not rumors or fear.

Veronica brings both clinical skill and research experience to the work. She has supported people pursuing general wellness and those navigating chronic conditions, and she uses that same thoughtful approach with young people: meeting them where they are, explaining health in clear language, and treating questions with respect. She is also involved in continuing education and collaborative research projects focused on sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention among adolescents and young people, so our program can stay aligned with what is current, proven, and culturally appropriate.

And we are not stopping after the first round of visits. Veronica will return to every school to assess students’ understanding, reinforce key topics, and fill any remaining questions. Because real learning doesn’t always happen in one day. Sometimes the most important questions arrive after students have had time to think, talk, and process.

By going school to school, and then coming back again, we are not just sharing information. We are building a foundation of knowledge, confidence, and self-advocacy that young people can carry for the rest of their lives. Because prevention starts long before crisis. It starts with understanding.