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A game changer! | FutureLife-Now! Malawi initiates youth-friendly outreach clinics
Posted by Khanyi Khuzwayo 
on
11 December 2024, 13:40
SAST
One of FutureLife-Now!’s priorities is to make sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services more accessible for the learners in schools. For many young people, accessing these services is a challenge mainly because the service delivery point—usually a clinic—is located too far from them. But for the youth attending FutureLife-Now! schools, the situation has changed!
Earlier this year the FutureLife-Now! team in Malawi consulted with two key partners, namely the Ministry of Health and the Momentum Project, about conducting “youth-friendly health services outreach clinics” at venues that are convenient to learners. As a result, two approaches have been rolled out in the 40 FutureLife-Now! schools, both of which are aimed at increasing the number of learners who gain access to SRH information and the health services on offer.
In the first approach, FutureLife-Now! youth facilitators arrange for Ministry of Health officials to provide these services directly at the schools, with FutureLife-Now! providing the logistical support. In the second approach, the facilitators themselves—who are supported in this instance by programme partners such as the Momentum Project—undertake certain health promotion activities at the school, including peer education and facilitating health dialogues or quizzes.
Between May and September, over 20 youth-friendly health services outreach clinics have been conducted in 25 FutureLife-Now! schools. These clinics specifically aim to provide the learners with coherent, age-appropriate SRHR (including HIV&AIDS) and mental health information, which is crucial for preventing new HIV infections and for addressing life challenges.
The outreach clinics have enabled learners to interact with service providers and to explore sensitive topics related to HIV prevention and treatment, antiretroviral adherence, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gender-based violence and mental health. In addition, learners gain access to various services, including screening for cervical cancer, family planning, STI treatment and the provision of condoms, as well as general outpatient consultation. To date, FutureLife-Now has run the outreach clinics in the Lilongwe, Dowa and Dedza Districts, reaching 2 590 learners, just over a half of whom are girls or young women.
These efforts were appreciated by the intended recipients—namely, the learners:
I appreciate that our school cares about our sexual health, especially working with FutureLife-Now! to bring these services close to us. You see, today I had a chance to have HIV testing which was a challenge for me to do [before], especially considering the distance … to the health centre. – Kizito Phiri. Simbi Community Day Secondary School
Health service providers, school managers and teachers have extolled the value of the outreach clinics in complementing the services they provide. For example, a School Health and Nutrition teacher had this to say:
It is wonderful that Ministry of Health officials brought the services here today. Students are so excited and as you can see the turnout has been too good. This is a very welcome development, and I wish this started a long time ago. It does not only provide a safe space for the learner to access the services but also complements some of our classroom efforts. – Kondwani Mbewe, Mbalame Community Day Secondary School
And from a Health perspective:
[The FutureLife-Now! Programme] is assisting the Ministry of Health to achieve some of its key indicators. – Blessings Moyo, Youth-Friendly Health Services Coordinator. Dowa District
These outreach clinics have had a significant impact on the health of FutureLife-Now! learners, but their impact goes beyond that: the events have provided entertainment, enthusiasm and safe spaces for the young people attending FutureLife-Now! schools. This enhances their agency—understood here as the power of young people to be agents of change by taking meaningful and informed actions to pursue the results they would like to see.
Here is how two learners expressed it:
Having this activity today here close to our school makes me feel safe, considered and supported. Most of the times I become very discouraged to go to the hospital because it’s far. Now with these providers coming here today, I feel excited, I can ask questions and get the help I need without worrying about going far from home. – Willy Banda. Minga Community Day Secondary School
This is a game changer! You know what, I used to feel embarrassed talking about these topics to our teachers and any other person in our community, but now today I had all the comfort of talking to the health service provider who was very friendly and understanding. – Bridget Malamula. Chibanzi Community Day Secondary School
