Championing Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Zambia
Adolescence (10-19 years old) is a unique period of physical, psychological, emotional, and social maturation from childhood to adulthood, with unique challenges and risks. These risks include early pregnancies, high maternal mortality rates, unsafe abortions, and high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.
The Solutions for Supporting Healthy Adolescents and Rights Protection (SHARP) programme, funded by the European Union, is dedicated to improving adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and address their high unmet need for family planning. SHARP does this by tackling the obstacles faced by young people in accessing essential SRH commodities and services, and increasing demand for these services through religious and socio-cultural interventions.
In Zambia, SHARP implementing partner Medicines Research and Access Platform (MedRAP) works closely with a range of Champions, including youth representatives, religious leaders and other pillars of the community. In this photo essay, we shine a spotlight on the tireless efforts of three of these Champions and their work to improve the health and lives of adolescents in Zambia’s Southern Province.
Pastor Joyce Samba
Pastor Joyce is a religious leader and single mother with 10 dependents ranging from primary school to university age. What she learns from SHARP trainings and workshops provided by MedRAP (e.g., the use of social media and faithbased toolkits) she then passes on to her children and other young people in her Parish, who in turn act as peer educators.
"I share with my children issues on SRHR to break the cultural myth of it being taboo for parents and children to discuss SRHR. This is a myth that I grew up with. I want to create a platform where my children are free to talk to me. It is their right to have the accurate information. Today, I can spread the knowledge I've acquired through MedRap to the adolescents at Church, in my community & to other family members.” - Pastor Joyce