Acting President Inonge Wina has called for the involvement of adolescents in all programmes and activities that are aimed at promoting sexual and reproductive health among young people.
Speaking when she officiated at the Zambia Adolescent Activism Awards in Health, Mrs. Wina said positive impact in adolescent health can only be scored if government and civil society organisations ensure that adolescent health programmes are teenage driven.
She said the participation of young people in sexual and reproductive health in Zambia resulted in girls having the legitimacy to talk about sex without the risk of being stigmatized as sexually promiscuous among other benefits.
The Acting President said government and other cooperating partners have the responsibility of ensuring that adolescents are empowered with the right information and life skills to allow for a safe transition as well as ensuring a safe and supportive environment in which adolescents survive and thrive in their journey to adulthood.
Mrs. Wina expressed sadness that adolescent girls and young women suffer from negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes which challenge their ability to fulfil their own potential and contribute to their communities’ and country’s development.
She disclosed that adolescents, especially those in rural areas face many social and economic barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services despite most of them being sexually active.
Mrs. Wina said this has led to high HIV incidences, maternal mortality as well as high cases of early marriages among adolescents including complications such as fistula.
She said addressing adolescent health matters was a huge task that government alone cannot manage to address hence the need to involve other cooperating partners who she thanked for supplementing government’s efforts in promoting adolescent health.
And speaking earlier United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Resident Coordinator Mary Otieno said adolescents need to understand their right in order for them to demand the provision of services such as quality education and health.
Dr. Otieno said government and other partners should take up the burden of providing information, skills and jobs to young people to protect them from early pregnancies and other sexual related risks.
She said taking care of the economic and social needs of adolescents will accelerate their development.
Meanwhile, Pride Community Health Organisation won the best adolescent activism award in the group category and bagged US$1,000 while Abraham Ngulube of Mbala pocketed US$500 in the individual category.
That’s true and as an activist I will do all my best to make the country change