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Reproductive education for rural youth necessary
2007-03-25 09:54:27
By Felix Andrew
The youth in Arumeru District, have called for youth-friendly services to be administered by health authorities so that they can access the said services in a more confidential manner.
Speaking during a training drive for youths `on life skills and friendly services`, some of the interviewed youths observed that secrecy in administering health services for the youth has to be accorded special attention to encourage them go for the services voluntarily.
Athuman Abdullahi, one of the participants to the training campaign, says the youth-friendly services programme which was founded by Marie Stopes Tanzania (MST) has immensely helped in changing the habits of the youth with regard to caring about their health.
Following massive mobilisation, most of the youth are now not afraid of visiting health centres for health services.
``In the past most youth suffering from venereal diseases were afraid of reporting to health centres for treatment and resorted to bogus, secret treatment, subsequently rendering the diseases incurable and ultimately undergoing permanent disabilities,`` he says.
The young man says, after being educated on the project, the youth are now reporting to health centres without any fear.
Abdullahi, who is the chairman of youth peer educators of MST in Arumeru District hopes that the project is bound to succeed.
The group has conducted mobilisation campaigns in various areas of Usa River such as Kisambare, Ngalasero, Maji ya Chai and Makumira.
He calls on the government and non-governmental organisations to help in ensuring that medicines are available for treatment when patients visit health centres.
``Nobody appreciates buying medicaments in shops because the youth prefer to have all matters settled at hospitals and health centres,`` he says.
Another youth who identified himself as Abdallah Hamis says the youth-friendly services has greatly helped prune down problems which they might have undergone.
He says many young people were plagued by venereal diseases, early pregnancies and drug abuse.
Hamis points out that there has been an immense rise in the use of condoms among the youth following mobilisation on this score adding that the rate of early pregnancies has gone down as young girls now recognise the dangers surrounding the issue and hence taking the needed precautions.
Also, young girl, Flora Gemuwa, suggests establishment of small projects, which could enable young girls, generate incomes instead of engaging themselves in dangerous habits.
``We are happy the youth-friendly services have helped much in rectifying a hell of things in society.
There is the need provide loans to the young girls so that they embark on small-income generation projects such as selling of vegetables,`` the young lady says.
She also suggests mobilisation campaigns for girls on the necessity of using female condoms as most girls are not aware of this issue.
Another youth , Abdalla Juma, calls for provision of the necessary material, including offices, identity cards, allowances and stationery, for the youth who volunteer to educate their colleagues on this issue.
He underscores that such moves should go hand in hand with provision of social facilities such as playgrounds which would keep the youth busy instead of engaging in pervert actions.
On this score, the government has stressed its co-operation with institutions which have shown their intention to help the health sector.
Talking at the meeting, the Poli Ward Secretary which is in Usa River, Ms Senyi Ngada says the ward is still faced with the danger of contracting a myriad of diseases and called on MST to sustain the campaigns for educating the youth.
``I advice that maternal and reproductive health education on the youth be sustainable so that most of them do not remain shy on this matter,`` she says.
She says in the past many people were so shy in mentioning the word `condom`, but nowadays nobody feels shy in doing so.
She also called on providers of health services to beam their attention at rural areas also instead of doing the same to urban areas only.
The Ward Executive Officer for Usa River, Richard Mollel, advises the youth to stop abuse of drugs and use of alcohol in order to evade temptations leading to infection of diseases.
``Our town becomes hell particularly during the night, and hence, we advise the youth to reject appreciating untimely deaths,`` she says.
Dwelling on the objectives of the mobilisation campaign, the MST community coordinator Ms Milka Mwakasumi, says this include dissemination of information on self-understanding on the part of the youth and on life skill.
``As youths, we have the immense task of developing our nation, hence we have to take care of our health,`` she says.
The project financed by DFID of Britain aims at helping the current and future generations become aware of the dangers that could untimely curtail their lives.
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