There are high hopes of improved delivery of sexual reproductive health services to adolescent girls and young women, young people with disabilities, and other people with sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in the country.
This follows the implementation of a project called Sexual Reproductive Health Strategies for Universal Health Coverage in Africa which seeks to among other things address challenges that the said group of people encounter as they strive to access sexual reproductive health services.
Men Engage in partnership with SRHR Alliance who are implementers of the project engaged the District Health Management Team for Mzimba north in an effort to find solutions to such challenges like rigid gender norms and misconceptions around SRHR services.
Gibson Chisale, Executive director for Pace for Social Change who are partners in the implementation of the project in Mzuzu City has told MIJ Online that adolescent girls, young women and young people with disabilities face various forms of discrimination and abuses but fail to report the same due to fear of further discrimination from service providers.
Speaking in an interview, Yewo Gondwe projects officer at the SRHR Alliance has said their meeting with the DHMT for Mzimba north is to remind duty bearers of their responsibilities in ensuring that marginalized and vulnerable groups of people have access to quality Sexual reproductive health services through Rights Based and Gender Transformative Approaches.
The Sexual Reproductive Health Strategies for Universal Health Coverage in Africa is a four-year project and is being implemented in Malawi’s three major cities of Mzuzu, Blantyre and Lilongwe with funding from SONKE Gender Justice.
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