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100 youths undergo VCT in Mzuzu

About 100 youths in Mzuzu last Saturday underwent voluntary counselling and testing (VCT).

This was after they had watched a football and netball bonanza that Progressio, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), organised at Chibavi Football Ground.

A Health worker testing a group  of girls from Chibavi
A Health worker testing a group
of girls from Chibavi

The NGO organised the bonanza to encourage youths to come out in their large numbers to access health and reproductive services the organisation is implementing in the city.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Progressio deputy team leader Jack Bucker said they are using several tools, including sports to attract more youths to undergo VCT.

He said the large turnout proved that sports are a tool that can help in advancing health issues in the country.

Bucker said time has come when sports events should be utilised in various outreach programmes.

“Our focus is to reach out to many youths with reproductive health services. We tried to use sports and the outcome is encouraging. We are proud to announce that, through this football and netball bonanza, 100 youths have been tested, 33 of them were girls.

“These positive results should send a message to other organisations to consider sports as an outreach tool,” he said.

Progressio is a registered charity that receives funding from Britain’s Department for International Development (DfID) and individual sponsors.

Currently, the organisation is carrying out a six-month sexual and reproductive health project in Mzuzu.

The project aims to have 300 youths tested and 900 others reached with sexual and reproductive health information. n

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