Pamoza Tingakwaniska Youth Organization has awarded seven students from schools in Chitipa and Karonga Districts for their outstanding performance in Poem and Essay writing competition at a ceremony held on Saturday at Chisenga Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Chitipa.
The students were from Wenya Secondary School, Chisenga CDSS in Chitipa and Thunduti, Nyungwe, and Iponga CDSSs in Karonga.
Executive Director for the organization, Maggie Kadrum said they decided to conduct the competition in an effort to empower students to use the art of writing in addressing issues of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
“This competition was aimed at boosting students self-expression skills in them, developing the art of writing and also empowering them to express issues of SRHR amongst women, girls and boys,” she said.
She has since pointed out that the competition will bridge SRHR information gap amongst young people in schools and communities.
“Be it that these students are young and among people encountering SRHR problems due to cultural boundaries that we have like considering some topics as taboos, starting to talk about these topics now through writing will help them spread SRHR messages to more people comfortably, Kadrum said.
Primary Education Advisor for Chisenga Zone in Chitipa Education District, Nicodemus Msukwa who was Guest of Honour, commended the organization for the initiative and congratulated students for their performance.
“A vote of thanks to Pamoza for a commendable job they have done, this is so encouraging to students and I also congratulate the students for they have done well. Writing is an art, I read the essays they wrote and they are wonderful pieces, he said.
Eniphas Mbughi, a form three awardee from Wenya Secondary School who emerged as best student expressed excitement and said this has encouraged and empowered him to study harder so as to pass with flying colors while using the art of writing in addressing issues of SRHR.
The list of awardees and their prizes include: Eniphas Mbughi from Wenya Secondary school as best student who received a medal, school fees for a complete academic year, school bag, note books and pens.
Great Kondowe from Thunduti CDSS and Diana Anderson from Wenya Secondary School were on second position and each one walked away with a medal, school fees for a term, school bag, note books and pens while Prosperina T Sibale from Nyungwe CDSS was on position 3 and was awarded a medal, school bag, note books and pens.
Three students that also reached last stage of writing are Misheck Ngambi from Chisenga CDSS, Joseph Mukolongo from Iponga CDSS and Faith M Shola from Nyungwe CDSS and have been given each a school bag, note books, and pens.
Other schools that participated are Ngara and Fulirwa CDSS in Karonga and Nkhumano CDSS in Chitipa but did not make it onto third (last) stage of the competition.
Last year the organization conducted a similar event, music competition to enable youths address SRHR issues through music and three artists and one music band from Karonga were outstanding.
