Association embarks on reproductive health campaign
The Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) has embarked on a three-year project to sensitise about 6 000 youths in Mulanje to their sexual and reproductive health rights.
In an interview on Saturday after a workshop for religious and traditional leaders at Likhubula CCAP Lodge in the district, YWCA executive director Nellie Dzabala said the project comes as a result of a baseline survey, which showed knowledge and information gaps on sexual health rights and contraception.
“We noted that the school dropout rate for girls in the district is high due to early pregnancies. We want to increase girls’ knowledge of maternal health issues; that is why we are involving religious and traditional leaders,” said Dzabala.
She said, under the Norwergian Aid for Development-funded project, safe spaces will be created to help peers discuss such issues as health care, contraception and options after pregnancy.
YWCA president Mtisunge Kachingwe said, among other things, findings from the survey on 377 respondents in Nakhonyo, Mbewa and Magombo villages, showed 90 percent of them had nothing to mitigate the risk of contracting HIV or any other sexually transmitted infections in their first encounter.
