By Alick Msowoya | BICC Officer
In Malawi, there is a lack of access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education/services among adolescents or youths across communities in the country. Hence, merging sports with SRH education to improve access to these services. Youth-friendly health talk sessions via football bonanzas are proving to be an effective tool used in SRH education among adolescents in various districts across the country.
BLM, through the health sector joint fund, has been conducting football bonanzas across various districts in Malawi with the aim of attracting a good number of adolescents and providing quality SRH education via interactive health talk sessions. Hence, on 24 January 2025, BLM hosted a football bonanza (Health Talk Session) at Nathenje site in Lilongwe District. The football bonanza event attracted a good number of adolescents, both school-going and non-going adolescents, with an estimation that the football bonanza attracted more than a thousand adolescents from across
Nathenje communities.
The football bonanza (Health Talk Session) involved various SRH education hot topics, which included fears, myths, and misconceptions of modern contraceptives, signs and prevention of STIs, importance of cervical cancer screening among young girls and general awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues.
During the health talk session, adolescents (girls & boys) participated in interactive games, involving SRH education, where Nathenje youths had the chance to present the myths, misconception and fears that surround modern contraceptives across their perspective communities around Nathenje as well as the signs of STIs and how best youths can prevent the spread of STIs among them.
In addition, the health talk session also involved educating young girls and women on cervical cancer screening and the importance of young girls going for cervical cancer screening. BLM SRH providers provided the dangers and prevention of cervical cancer, hence the need for regular screening among adolescent girls.
In summary, BLM’s commitment to reaching out to rural areas through community engagements like hosting football bonanzas improves easy access to SRH services among adolescents or youths. These services may include general SRH education, provision of family planning services, cervical cancer screening, STI prevention and management, as well as the distribution of call centre toll free line and our WhatsApp
number.
