Ipas lobbies for SRH

 Ipas Malawi policy adviser Chancy Mwalubunju has urged partners in Karonga to continue advocating for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in public hospitals.

He said this on Tuesday at Baka in the district when his organisation engaged youth and women champions to mark the end of a one-year SRH project.

Said Mwalubunju: “Through the project, we conducted awareness campaigns that created an enabling environment for the delivery of SRH issues.

“We, therefore, expect our partners to continue using the existing structures to provide SRH services to youths and women while fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.”

On his part, Chisomo Youth Organisation chairperson Davie Kitalu said they withdrew six girls from early marriages and addressed 18 cases of gender-based violence (GBV).

He said: “The project empowered us to engage community leaders and duty-bearers on SRH issues.

“We also discussed the Termination of Pregnancy Bill.”

In her remarks, Karonga Women’s Forum project officer Queen Kaira said the project helped her office to engage traditional leaders on GBV and child marriages.

“The traditional leaders have since pledged to abolish harmful cultural practices that fuel child marriages,” she said.

Karonga District Council representative Mercy Kayange, who spoke on behalf of Karonga District Youth office, commended Ipas for the strides in safeguarding SRH services amid the pandemic.

With funding from Amplify Change, Ipas ran the one-year emergency response on safeguarding SRH service delivery during Covid-19 through youth and women champion groups in the district.