For young people in Zambia, staying healthy is a priority. Unfortunately, health services are not necessarily tailored to respond to adolescent’s specific needs and demands.
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) supports the Ministry of Health to roll out high impact interventions that address the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of adolescents. This includes making sure that health workers in clinics are trained in how to better work with youth and setting up spaces near the clinics for young people to meet, discuss and get access to contraceptives and other services. The programme also recruits youth educators that go out in the communities informing their peers about SRHR and ensuring they seek services at the nearest clinic.
In Pemba district in Southern province, the Embassy met a group of peer educators that are working to attract other youth to come and access services. There are many young teenage mothers in Pemba. A lot of pregnancies are unplanned and result in unsafe abortions due to lack of awareness about emergency contraception and safe abortion options. Sexually active adolescents can get tested for Hiv and other sexually transmitted infections and access treatment in a non-judgmental clinic. Without youth-friendly spaces or services located far away from the general clinic, young people will simply not go to the clinics due to fear of stigma, discrimination and poor attitudes among health workers and other adults.
