AHF MALAWI TIPS STUDENTS ON USE OF SRHS

Students at Lilongwe Technical College have been urged to always use Sexual Reproductive Health Services as one way of protecting themselves from HIV and AIDS and also as a means of preventing them from getting early pregnancy.

Speaking on Friday 1 October 2021, Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Malawi Prevention Program Officer for the Central Region, Linda Dziweni, briefied the students about the importance of accessing and using sexual reproductive health services.

Dziweni said they chose Lilongwe Technical College because most of the colleges are now on high risk of sexual behaviours , which is resulting into students contracting HIV, and also getting early pregnancy thereby affecting their studies.

“This is not our first time to be here, as you know our offices are near this college, so as AHF Malawi, we chose Lilongwe Technical College because by default, most colleges are now engaged in high risk sexual behaviours and we thought to start here with our sensitization campaign on sexual reproductive health,” said Dziweni.

Dziweni said AHF Malawi has also advised students to always condomize or use emergency pills to prevent early pregnancy.

However, Dziweni emphasized that their main purpose as AHF Malawi is to impliment the efforts that the Ministry of Health is doing in controlling the spread of Hiv and Aids in the country.

On his part, Community Reproductive Health Promotor for Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM), John Bosco Bonga, said his organisation has always been working hand in hand with AHF Malawi as they both have the same goal of providing sexual reproductive health to young people across Malawi.

“We can say that our aim is being achieved when we interact with students at times like these, where we are able to provide them with sexual reproductive health services and also educated them on these issues,” said Bonga.

Meanwhile, Patron for Lilongwe Technical College, Wyson Lipenga, applauded AHF Malawi and FPAM for the gesture, saying that it will help students at the college to always go for Hiv test.

Lipenga said, “The advice we can give to these students is: let us abstain from indulging in early sexual activies to avoid the spread of Hiv and Aids and also let’s go for Hiv test so that we should know what is in our body.”

One of the students at the college Grace Mhango, said, The coming of AHF Malawi has helped us as students to now be safe from STIs and also prevent ourselves from early pregnancy.”

The event was spiced by songs by musician Wikise who in his music also advised his fellow young people to always use condoms and other means in order to protect themselves from the virus and other sexually transmitted infections.