Primary School learners in Phalombe have been taught issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) so that they should be able to avoid getting early pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
This is one of the initiatives under Phalombe Youth Arms Organisation (PYAO)’s two year-project called leveraging positive action towards reducing violence against women and girls which is being funded by ViiV Healthcare.
SRHR and HIV/AIDS Programmes officer for PYAO, Elizabeth Mwafongo, said her organisation is currently impressed with how the learners are reacting during the lessons saying she has hope that they are absorbing to whatever they are being taught.
“So far so good, as you can see at the end of these lessons in all the schools we have conducted these lessons learners are asking questions and we do ask them and they are able to give us convincing answers which means that they are grasping everything we are teaching them,” she said.
Mwafongo added that as per guidelines, the lessons are being delivered to learners who are in Standard 6 to 8 hence have little knowledge on the topics they are being taught.
Health Surveillance Assistants and community health coordinators are the ones facilitating the lessons which so far have been delivered in five primary schools.
The organization hopes to cover other primary schools across the district at the end of the project.
Among the primary schools where the lessons have taken place is Mbembembe whose Headteacher, Benson Mgawanyemba, commended PYAO for coming up with such lessons saying whatever the learners have learnt will help them in their day to day lives.
Other schools are Nansomba, Nambiro, Mpata and Phalombe of which all are in Nambiro zone.
The learners have learnt topics on hygiene, life skills, family planning and how they can prevent contraction of different sexually transmitted infections which have negative impact in a body once someone has contracted.
