FPAM incorporates university students in child rights advocacy

Family Planning Association of Malawi (Fpam) has described university students as a useful tool in the promotion of child rights, sexual reproductive health and HIV/Aids awareness among young people in the country.

Fpam Executive Director Thokozani Mbendera was speaking to students from University of Malawi’s constituent college, the Polytechnic in Blantyre on Friday during the launch of an advocacy strategy for the preparatory assistance on young women and HIV 3E’s project.

Through the 3E’s strategy which means Empowerment + Engagement = Equality the project seeks to empower university students with skills that will enable them advocate for issues affecting girls by among others sensitizing girls on issues of sexual reproductive health and drive society involvement in eradicating child abuse, HIV and AIDS among the youth.

This comes against the background that 50 percent of adolescent girls in the country were getting pregnant before the age of 18 and that out of every six new HIV infection among adolescents, four were girls according to the 2014 Unicef report on Violence against children and young women in Malawi and UNAIDS report 2014.

“We have come to realise that using these university students in advocacy can boost their fellow youth’s motivation to seek information and therefore, permeating the social-cultural barriers on issues affecting our young girls,” stated Mbendera.

Before the launch Fpam, trained 65 female students who are going to champion the project at the college.

Principal Gender Officer in the ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Trevor Hamera, called on the young advocates to refrain from the pull her down syndrome which he said has frustrated so many initiatives by women in the country.

Hamera said as a Ministry they believe that investing in young people’s Sexual Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS needs, can promote economic growth.

“Even the newly developed and launched Youth Friendly Health Strategy (2015-2020) was based on fundamental belief that the right information, motivation and access to services, play a vital role in achieving equity and poverty reduction,” he added.

Dean of Students at the Polytechnic Luciano Ndalama said the project will give university students a chance to contribute towards the promotion of Sexual Reproductive Health among the youth thereby minimising cases of unwanted pregnancies and early marriages in the country.

Ndalama said university students provide a quick source of information dissemination as they come from all corners of the country.

Fpam organised the event in partnership with International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPPF) and UN women.