Stand up for Adolescents

Child marriage rates in Malawi are among the highest in the world, and in the Mangochi and Machinga districts, teenage pregnancies are commonplace. As a result, many girls are forced to drop out of school early, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

One major cause of early pregnancy and marriage is the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health education among young people. To tackle this, since 2017 Amref Health Africa has been working in Mangochi and Machinga districts to support young people to access comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education.

Our aim is to reach over 14,000 young people by 2021. To achieve this, we are engaging the expertise and support of the entire community. Young people are trained as peer educators to deliver SRHR education in school and community-based youth clubs, and parents, community members and leaders also take part in SRHR education to inspire open discussion of sexual and reproductive health issues.

As a result of the Stand Up for Adolescents project, young people will gain vital knowledge about topics such as contraception, early pregnancy, reproductive rights and personal development, equipping them with the tools they need to make safer, healthier life choices.

We are grateful to the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust for supporting the project.

Images © Jeroen van Loon for Amref Health Africa, 2019.