Partners in Health empowers youths
Neno District Council director of planning and administration Charles Lomoni has commended Partners in Health for improving the health and socioeconomic rights of adolescents in the district.
He said this on Friday during a stakeholders meeting on the strides of the non-governmental organisation’s (NGO) two programmes, namely Social Economic Rights (Poser) and Teens Clubs: Improving Health and Creating Socio-Economic Opportunities for HIV Adolescent (Aspire) which are providing education support, direct cash transfers, food supplements and vocational training.
Lomoni said empowering the youth with vocational skills is crucial to the district’s development.
“Let me commend Partners in Health for the good work it is doing in the district by empowering vulnerable groups. As government, we rely on our partners to develop the country,” he said.
Lomoni encouraged the youth to utilise such opportunities to empower themselves economically.
Partners in Health director of community health Jimmy Harare said the Aspire programme seeks to promote socioeconomic rights of adolescents through education and job creation.
He said vulnerable groups, including youths and those living with HIV continue facing challenges that expose them to health and wealth inequalities.
“We believe that once the youth are empowered, they will be able to acquire quality health services and improve their physical and economic well-being,” said Harare.
He said through the Aspire programme, they have revised the teen club curriculum to incorporate the sexual and reproductive health rights with special emphasis on sexual and gender-based violence.
Partners in Health Poser programme manager Victor Kanyema said the programme has constructed 170 houses for vulnerable communities, distributed 1 773 goats and supported 173 students at different levels and has facilitated vocational training for 253 people in Neno.
