A non-governmental organisation has drilled health workers in Thyolo on assisting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people living in the area.
This follows Umunthu workshop that was conducted at Chisoka health centre that was aimed at drilling the workers on LGBTI.
The workers disclosed to have been “discriminating” gay people who have been visiting the facility for medical attention.
Chisoka health workers also applauded the workshop to be an eye opener on LGBTI people, as they lacked knowledge on the same.
Umunthu Programs Manager Rodgers Phiri expressed satisfaction with the workshop saying the feedback helps them to take such initiatives to other areas that are yet to be reached.
“It’s encouraging to us as a project to hear positive tributes from health service providers about how Umunthu workshop has impacted on their personal as well as professional lives, in this case, health service provision,” said Phiri.
He added that the Umunthu health service provision targets health workers to “elicit empathy and bring awareness of our oneness as a people”.
Umunthu is under Art and Global Health Centre Africa (ArtGlo) and it uses art as a catalyst for discussion, to provide a platform to discuss contentious human rights issues that have an implication on health.
Umunthu project is in 8 districts of Malawi and it is to be implemented in 3 years till 2020.
