Youths at Tilora in the area of Traditional Authority Wasambo in Karonga District have bemoaned long distance travel to access youth friendly health services.
They say the vice is contributing to young people in the area shunning the services and the low uptake of family planning services.
In an interview Chairperson for Tilora Youth Club, Grecious Wasambo, said due to mobility challenges of travelling about 10 kilometres to the nearest health centre the youths are put off from travelling such distances to seek sexual reproductive health services.
“Most youths are wanting to embrace family planning services but the long distance travel is a huge hindrance to the young people hence shunning away from such services,” he said.
Concurring with Wasambo, Grace Muhesha, said girls are most affected by a lack of a nearest health centre saying the vice is behind the increase numbers of unwanted pregnancies and sexual transmited diseases.
Meanwhile in a bid to bring sexual reproductive health services closer to the rural communities Pamoza Tingakwaniska has rolled out mobile clinics in the area.
Program Manager for the organization, Gomezani Mhango, said the aim of establishing outreach clinics was to bring Sexual Reproductive Health Services (SRHS) closer to the communities.
Adding the initiative which is under the ‘Wanangwa wane’ project aims at equipping youths with information on SRHS and dispelling myths and misconception of family planning methods and HIV and AIDS testing in the communities.
“What we hope to achieve is to see youths and communities start embracing family planning services and HIV testing and not see it as a taboo to go for this services as it is important to the health of communities,” Mhango said.
Pamoza Tingakwaniska is implementing an 18 month Wanawangwa wane project in Traditional Authority Wasambo in Karonga and Mwenewenya in Chitipa with funding from Breuckmann Foundation and the German government’s federal ministry for economic cooperation and development.
