Fifteen youth leaders from different districts across the country have received training in conducting public expenditure tracking surveys. The aim is to enable youth participation in budget and policy processes related to Sexual Reproductive Health Services and Rights (SRHR).
The training was organized by a consortium of three youth-led organizations: Youth Initiative for Community Development (Yicod), Phalombe Youth Arms Organization, and All for Youth.
The event took place in Dowa district.
In an interview on Tuesday following a two-day training that began on Monday this week, Yicod team leader Andrew Bwanali emphasized the importance of imparting knowledge and skills to young people as it is crucial to ensure accountability for public funds allocated for youth benefits and to maximize the inclusion of youth initiatives in budget planning.
“There is a need for young people to fully participate in various issues such as health services so that they can address their needs. Hence these young leaders are being provided with knowledge on how they can track public funds and also voice out how budgets for their respective councils could incorporate and promote issues of SRHR,” said Bwanali.
In her remarks, one of the participants, Mervis Chekucheku of Tipewe Youth Club in Ntchisi district, said she had gained valuable knowledge, such as how to analyse the budget, which will help her to always scrutinise the budget and see if youths’ priorities are included.
“I will orient my fellows from my youth network so that we should be able to track the public funds easily and also that we should be analysing the budget and advocate for the inclusion of priorities for the initiatives of young people in our district of Ntchisi,” she said.
The consortium, with financial support from the Commonwealth Foundation, is implementing a project that aims to amplify the voices of young people in SRHR budget policy processes by ensuring meaningful engagement and participation.
