Thursday, March 4, 2021
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Feature Feature of the Week

Young people leading on climate change, population growth

by Nation Online
01/02/2021
in Feature of the Week
5 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

Just 85 kilometres south of Malawi’s capital, the impact of global warming is abundantly clear. Hunger is becoming increasingly common due to famine caused by unfavourable rainfalls and poor harvests caused by changing weather patterns.

Adding to the problem is the mushrooming population of a nation that holds land as paramount, as it is the main source of livelihoods.

RelatedHeadlines

Cylinders of hope for idle stadium

Youths find gold in agriculture

Escaping GBV through economic empowerment

In the past decade alone, the population has grown from 13 million to 18 million people. As land size per person has reduced, virgin land has been annexed.

girl | The Nation Online
More than 50 youth advocacy groups make up the Kachindamoto Youth Network

In Dedza, trees have been cut down to make way for the new inhabitants, exposing the land to soil erosion. Almost 80 per cent of the district’s land now lies bare and prone to degradation, making it unfavourable for cultivation.

The problem has not gone unnoticed by the young people who stand to inherit it. They have been galvanised to act.

“It is imperative that as young people we should be at the forefront to help save the planet from being uninhabitable, as the future belongs to us,” says Charles Chingwalu.

In Senior Chief Kachindamoto’s area, young people have formed the Kachindamoto Youth Network comprising 51 youth advocacy groups that aim to tackle the climate crisis as well as the unprecedented population boom. Chingwalu is the network chairperson.

“We discuss how the population boom puts enormous pressure on resources such as land and the environment, as many people are forced to cut down trees as they look for new land to cultivate and feed their families,” he says.

Because the network members understand how a population boom puts pressure on the environment and exacerbates the existing problem, they are taking a two-pronged approach—advocating for action on the climate crisis as well as championing sexual and reproductive health and rights, with support from UNFPA under the Safeguard Young People Programme.

Network members share accurate information on climate change and they are taking action. In 2019 they planted almost 22 000 trees. This year, they have germinated 1 500 trees—a lower figure due to Covid-19-related movement restrictions—in readiness for the 2020-2021 rainy season.

They also share information on how access to sexual and reproductive health services, such as family planning, is essential to managing population growth trajectories to reduce the pressure that human beings exert on the environment.

“We encourage each other, as young people, to access sexual and reproductive health services such as condoms and contraceptive methods to prevent teen pregnancy, as well as the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections,” says Chingwalu.

Fighting child marriage and encouraging adolescents to focus on their education are critical elements of their campaign.

“With the right information on sexual and reproductive health issues, a lot of adolescent girls and boys appreciate the need to stay in school and not get married at an early age or have unplanned children,” says Flora Francisco, a member of the network.

As more young people gain access to the right information, the majority will make informed choices about their future—to complete their education, marry and bear children when they are ready while also understanding how their actions have an impact on climate change, the network members believe.

“The more young people engage in early marriage and have unplanned children, the more we put pressure on our scarce resources,” says Francisco.

Building climate-resilient health systems

Disasters induced by climate change typically disrupt the provision of essential services, including sexual and reproductive health services such as family planning and HIV treatment and prevention.

In March 2019, Cyclone Idai caused havoc in Malawi’s Mangochi District.

“Many parts of Mangochi District were submerged in water. We had to use the services of a helicopter to reach areas that were not accessible by road to provide sexual and reproductive health services, such as condoms, as a family planning method and for prevention of HIV and STIs, as well as peer education and HIV-related services,” says Treazer Masauli, senior health surveillance assistant at Mangochi District Hospital.  

His health surveillance team discusses the dangers of teenage pregnancy, early marriage and the population boom with young people.

“Due to poverty, adolescent girls might be forced to get married but we advise them that getting married is not a solution, as they might face challenges not only while giving birth but also in terms of raising the child.”

With Covid-19-related measures restricting people’s movement, health surveillance teams were instrumental in ensuring continued access to sexual and reproductive services, as well as raising awareness about preventive measures set by the World Health Organisation.

“We have been doing routine health services in communities to share information about the pandemic as we reached communities with essential health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, as well as information on climate change,” says Masauli. 

However, community members need a well-coordinated approach to fully understand the interlinkages around climate change and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“To ensure that community members are reached with holistic and streamlined messages around climate change, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and agriculture, there is a need for development actors within the communities to work together and ensure good coordination,” says Boyd Nkonjera, senior health surveillance assistant at Mangochi District Hospital.  

“At least many community members are aware of the dangers of a population boom, and can attest to how hard it is for them to acquire resources, such as land,” he says. n

*This article was first published on https://malawi.unfpa.org/ on January 25 2021

Previous Post

Why I took Covid-19 vaccine

Next Post

K23m bridge renovation project raises eyebrows

Related Posts

Chafunya shows some of the oxygen cylinders | The Nation Online
Feature of the Week

Cylinders of hope for idle stadium

March 3, 2021
piglets | The Nation Online
Feature of the Week

Youths find gold in agriculture

February 23, 2021
Members of a VSL group share baking skills
Feature of the Week

Escaping GBV through economic empowerment

February 10, 2021
Next Post
bridge | The Nation Online

K23m bridge renovation project raises eyebrows

Discussion about this post

Opinions and Columns

My Turn

Unmasking Covid-19 vaccine

March 3, 2021
My Turn

Tackling global slowdowns

March 1, 2021
People’s Tribunal

Burglary at the hill

February 28, 2021
Search Within

Perseverance landed, is alive and well

February 28, 2021

Trending Stories

  • Under probe: The Reserve Bank building in Mzuzu

    Exclusive: RBM’s Mzuzu branch payment mess exposed

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Charcoal traffickers fined K800 000, vehicle forfeited

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • K5bn Sunbird Waterfront hotel opens May

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Economist warns on teachers’ risk allowance

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Minister wants Msundwe police officers prosecuted

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2021 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.