Part of the participants during the training session
Chipembere Community Development Organization (CCDO) has launched a project titled “Amplifying Adolescents and Young People’s Voices on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Thyolo District,” with funding from Hivos through the Regional SRHR Fund, supported by SIDA.
Through a USD 50,000 grant, the one-year initiative aims to create demand for and promote access to inclusive and affirming SRHR information and services for adolescents and young people in rural communities under Traditional Authorities (TAs) Bvumbwe, Maganiza, Nchiramwela and Chimaliro.
According to Dalitso Chiwayula, Executive Director of CCDO, the project seeks to empower young people—especially adolescent girls and young women—to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.
“Our focus is to ensure that adolescents and young people, including young female sex workers aged 15–29, have access to accurate information and quality SRHR services in a supportive environment.
This project is an important step toward building inclusive and affirming systems that address the real needs of youth in Thyolo’s rural communities,” said Chiwayula.
Initially targeting TAs Bvumbwe, Maganiza and Nchiramwela, the project has since expanded to include Traditional Authority Chimaliro following positive engagement with district stakeholders and growing demand for youth-friendly services.
As part of the project’s rollout, CCDO engaged key district stakeholders through introductory meetings with the District Youth Technical Working Group and the District Health Management Team (DHMT).
Teline Gondwe, Thyolo district Youth-Friendly Health Services Coordinator, emphasized that these meetings provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration on adolescent and youth SRHR programming.
“The discussions helped align our efforts to improve access to inclusive SRHR information and services for young people.
We are excited about the project’s potential to enhance the quality and reach of youth-friendly health services in our district,” said Gondwe.
District stakeholders, including the health and youth offices, expressed appreciation for the initiative, highlighting that it complements ongoing government and NGO efforts to make SRHR services more accessible, inclusive and responsive to young people’s needs.
Blessings Major, the District Youth Officer for Thyolo, commended the project for prioritizing youth voices in shaping SRHR interventions.
“By involving young people directly, this project will help identify the barriers they face and ensure that solutions are informed by their lived experiences.
This is how we build stronger, more sustainable SRHR systems for the future,” Major noted.
Chiwayula
Thyolo district council officials during one of themeetings