Communities in Nkhata-Bay District have called on Ungweru Organisation to engage lodge owners and operators of entertainment facilities in efforts to curb teenage pregnancies and other sexual and reproductive health challenges affecting adolescent girls.
The call was made by the Malanda Area Development Committee (ADC) during meetings held to introduce the INSPIRE Project—Inclusive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Programming through Information, Rights and Empowerment. The project aims to improve access to accurate SRHR information and services among young people.
According to the ADC, lodges and unlicensed bars in the area have increasingly become spaces where teenagers engage in risky sexual behaviour, often fuelled by alcohol abuse, leading to high rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS.
“Our girls are patronising lodges and unlicensed bars, resulting in alcohol abuse and promiscuity. Parents only realise the problem when their children become pregnant or test HIV positive. We are therefore appealing to Ungweru to include lodge owners in this project,” said a female ADC member during the meeting.
Female ADC member speaks out on girls’ risky visits to lodges, urges Ungweru action.
The Malanda meeting marked the conclusion of a series of consultations with Area Development Committees in Sub-Traditional Authority Chiweyu and Traditional Authorities Zilakoma and Fukamapiri. Community members expressed optimism that the INSPIRE Project will help protect children from early pregnancies and early marriages.
Funded by AmplifyChange, the INSPIRE Project is being implemented in Nkhata Bay District and will work with six secondary schools and five community-based youth clubs across Traditional Authorities Malanda, Fukamapiri, Zilakoma, and Sub-Traditional Authority Chiweyu.
Nkhata Bay District Youth Officer, Mr Youngson Ngwira, welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and aligned with district priorities.
“The Council has been concerned about the rising levels of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in these areas. That is why we recommended that Ungweru implements this project in the selected locations,” said Ngwira.
Ngwira welcomes Ungweru’s timely initiative
Ungweru Organisation has reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with traditional leaders, health practitioners, Village Development Committees (VDCs), ADC members and other stakeholders to ensure sustainable impact.
The organisation expressed hope that collective action among all stakeholders will strengthen the protection and wellbeing of young people in Nkhata Bay District.