In a bid to reduce mobility challenges, among youth-friendly health service providers in Dedza, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has donated motorbikes.
Dedza District Hospital Youth Friendly Health Service Coordinator, Mateyu Nyando, said the 14 motorbikes have been distributed to 14 youth-friendly health service focal persons.
“To reach out to more youths with youth-friendly health services was a challenge in hard-to-reach areas as a result youth were unable to access sexual reproductive health services,” he noted.
Nyando said the teenage pregnancy rate stands at 11.1 percent while the sexually transmitted infection is at 7.3 percent among the age group of 10 to 24. He further said these need to be reduced further.
He commended UNFPA on the timely gesture of motorbikes which will help in the delivery of youth-friendly services in the district.
Commenting on the development, UNFPA Programme Officer for Adolescents and Youth, Khama Ziyabu, said the challenge was that service providers were having mobility problems to reach Adolescents and Youth with sexual Reproductive Health services.
“UNFPA is working towards three zeros: Zero preventable maternal death, Zero unmet need for family planning and Zero gender-based violence,” Khama Noted.
He said these can only be attained when service providers are equipped to deliver services in outreach areas.
On his part Kaundu Health Centre Youth Friendly Services Focal Person, Mathews Simbi, said to reach youth clubs was a nightmare since he had no proper means of transport.
“Now it will be a thing of the past as I will be moving around my catchment area easily,” he said.
Another motorcycle recipient from Kachindamoto Youth friendly Health Service, Agnes Beleya, said she will be able to reach more girls with information to reduce teenage pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
Dedza is one of the districts benefiting from UNFPA on the Safeguarding Young People Project targeting at least 300,000 youths
