Centre for Youth Development and Transformation (CYDT) has stressed the need for young people to have better access to sexual reproductive health and rights for them to become productive citizens in the future.
The organisation’s Executive Director, Philip Nyoni, said as the youths are making, transition to adulthood, they must be exposed to activities that will effect behavioural change for better life.
CYDT together with Impala Marketing Agency with funding from Southern African Aids Trust (Saat) and GIZ have embarked on adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights advocacy in Mulanje, Luchenza and Thyolo.
As part of the activities in safeguarding the sexual reproductive health and rights, CYDT organised a star’s awareness campaign at Luchenza Community ground on Friday.
“Better access to SRHR can help the country to have a healthy youth population for a better future. This is why we have lined up a number of activities, including star’s awareness campaign to contribute to improved reproductive health and rights of youth.
“We have already trained the local leaders on the need to provide care and support to adolescent, so that they go and remain in school,” Nyoni said.
He said the campaign will help reduce incidences of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies.
Impala Marketing Agency official, Aubrey Padambo, disclosed that the project is in response to sexual reproductive health and rights to adolescents after noting increased school dropouts, teenage pregnancies and early marriages among others.
“We have realised that all these vices were happening mostly in rural areas like Luchenza due to low communication on SRHR. Therefore, we want to make sure that the message is well communicated to people, especially the adolescents for them to make informed decisions,” said Padambo.
Luchenza Municipal Council Deputy Mayor, Lawrence Moleni and a student from Luchenza Community Day Secondary School, Alex Gawani, thanked for the initiative, saying it will go a long way in ensuring that there is improved access of sexual reproductive health and rights services among youth.
Traditional dances, career talk and comedy took centre stage before musician Piksy climaxed it all with the hit ‘Unamata’among the songs that kept fans busy on the dance floor.
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