By Tavita Natasha Mpala
My Age Zimbabwe is a youth-led organisation that champions youth leadership through the Girls Choose Initiative as promoted access to COVID-19 services, sexual reproductive health rights, HIV and Aids targeting adolescent girls and young women with disabilities.
Addressing stakeholders at the Girls Choose project stakeholders and donor visit meeting on the 2nd of November 2022.
The Monitoring, Evaluation, Results and Learning Officer of My Age, Isheanesu Chikumbu said the Girls Choose Campaign was bought about by the lack of effective disability inclusion within community based initiatives that are affecting access to services.
These services include information on COVID-19, Sexual Gender Based Violence, sexual reproductive health rights, HIV and Aids targeting young people especially adolescent girls and young women.
“Some of the results of the project include a general consensus on the need to include the National Disability Boards in the Governance structure of the Technical Working Group to ensure that they are involved with regards to critical decisions that are made within the platform.
With all our projects we believe in using the multi sectorial approach where we’ve got different sectors within young people who we reach out to, for example persons with disability, young sex workers, LGBT IQ community and young people living with HIV.
In a separate interview with Orbit Youth International a Girls Choose champion known as Grace said before she joined the project for girls Choose I didn’t have knowledge on SRHR.
“As a deaf person I’ve learnt a lot about female condoms and how to use them. Through the training we’ve gone through I’ve also learnt that After you have unprotected sex you have to go and seek for help at the nearest clinic.
I now teach my deaf friends about safe sex and the rights around accessing health care and their reproductive rights and I always encourage them to come to me if they need any help if they have problems as they are afraid to go to hospital.”
After the outdoor meeting through its partners like the Ministry of Health and Childcare, Zimbabwe National Family Council, National Aids Council and Masvingo City Health amongst others, My Age facilitated for young people to access sexual and reproductive health services from the stakeholders.
Through an innovative combination of programs and interventions which include digital conversations, theatre for development, skills strengthening, dialogue with duty bearers, exchange programs including linking young people with opportunities that they need to advance their health, rights, and young people at community, sub national, national and international level.
My Age has contributed in advocacy and awareness around the School Health Policy, Child Marriages, Gender Sensitive Schools and Communities, ASRH Strategy implementation and Violence against Women and Girls working with the government departments, CSO’s among other influencers, donors and partners in SRHR work.