Women and Children First is working with local partners, including MaiKhanda Trust, Farm Radio Trust, Farm Radio International, CODE and MSI Reproductive Choices to dismantle barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for adolescent girls and young women in Malawi.
The project is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada.
We want to support women like Veronica. She is 20 years old. She wants to have control over her life and her health. She wants to choose when she has a family, and she wants to get a good job.
But Veronica faces a number of barriers to being able to live the life she wants, many because of where she is born – in a remote, rural village in Malawi.
In Malawi, 50% of girls are married before the legal age of 18.
1 in 5 are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. 1 in 3 new HIV infections are in adolescent girls.
15–19-year-olds are twice as likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth than women aged 20 and older. 29% of pregnancies are among 15–19-year-olds.
There is limited access to education or work opportunities. They need family planning support, to delay, space or limit pregnancies. Accessing services is challenging. They are not confidential and there’s social stigma around going.
Women and Children First will work with MaiKhanda Trust and Farm Radio Trust to implement an innovative way of delivering community health groups in Ntchisi, Central Malawi. It will be delivered through radio shows to adolescent health groups.
In Malawi, radio remains the main source of information. It’s particularly important when 86% of the country is rural, and where women’s literacy rates are just 55%.
These groups will empower adolescent girls and young women to reach their potential.
They will increase knowledge of sexual and reproductive health issues and rights, as well as giving people the confidence they need to seek services.
50 pilot groups will be trialled for 6 months, with over 250 groups running for the following 2 years.
Initial research in communities has identified several barriers that adolescents face in accessing sexual and reproductive health services. This research stage is crucial to refining and reviewing strategies and approaches to ensure they meet girls’ needs.
Young people are facing a lack of support and accurate information. Parents and guardians do not provide the necessary advice and support on sexual health issues. They often refer them to their uncles and aunties for counselling, where there is little accurate or comprehensive information.
Many have had negative experiences with health services, finding staff unfriendly and hostile. Some avoid services altogether because of shyness and fear of contraceptives based on stories they have heard from others.
Early and forced marriages often lead to early pregnancies, halting their ability to achieve their aspirations.
Adolescent girls and young women will discuss with their group what can they do in their own communities to overcome the barriers to health problems presented on the show.
They will be in charge to develop the solutions they think will work for them and their community. Together they will implement them.
(Left to right) Jo (Women and Children First), Jacqueline (MaiKhanda Trust), Regina, Thokozani, Kay, Annie (Women and Children First) and Evelyn helped design the radio show to ensure it meets the needs of adolescent girls and young women in Ntchisi.
Thokozani, a local health service co-ordinator says, “The groups and approach mean women are going to be self-starters. I believe it will bring change.”
Joanna, our Head of Programmes, adds, “Participants selected a name in the Chichewa language for the radio-show – “Atsikana Ovaya” – which means ‘Cool Girls’ and is their way of positively identifying themselves.”
“Even though they face a lot of challenges, women can rise together by being given skills and opportunities through the groups.”
The work of the groups will be in conjunction and collaboration with partners who are also increasing the availability of family planning services, work in schools and training support for health workers.
The combined expertise and experiences everyone brings will increase the project’s chances of success, helping more adolescent girls and young women as well as adolescent boys and young men to thrive through life-changing support.
Women and Children First is looking forward to working with our partners in the months ahead to support adolescent girls and young women and empower them to enact change and help them reach their potential.
This work and these achievements are only possible thanks to our kind supporters.
Thank you.
