As a way of dealing with teen pregnancies, unsafe abortions and child marriage in Malawi, YONECO facilitated a Community Scorecard Assessment of Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS) in Mchinji and Mangochi districts.
A recent evaluation of the YFHS programme revealed that only 31.7% of young people have heard of YFHS and 13% have ever used these services. Thus, the assessment was aimed at unearthing and interrogating key issues that prevent young people from accessing the services.
The exercise was conducted by the youth, adult community members, various stakeholders and service providers Among other things; it was noted that the attitude of service providers towards young people, inadequate recreational materials, and shortage of infrastructure which also translates into breach of privacy among affects YFHS delivery.
After the exercise, YONECO further facilitated an interface meeting with decision makers and developed an accelerated action plan on how to address the identified barriers.
The assessment was conducted around health facilities that are in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Makanjira and Namabvi in Mangochi and TA Zulu in Mchinji. The activities were conducted with support from Simavi through Marriage; No Child’s Play Project. The project is aimed at contributing towards ending child marriage in Malawi is being implemented in partnership with Girls Empowerment Network (GENET), Save the Children and Population Council
YONECO promotes young people’s health and development in order to ensure their successful transition to healthy and productive adulthood.
