Promoting sexual and reproductive health education in Malawi

To exercise sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), people need a foundation of knowledge. Without accurate information, they can’t make informed decisions about their health and future—and that’s especially true for young people.  

That’s why, in many of the countries where we work, we support comprehensive sexuality education for young people. 

What is comprehensive sexuality education? Comprehensive sexuality education gives young people age-appropriate, accurate information about their sexual health. At MSI, our goal is to deliver this information in a culturally-sensitive way that’s tailored to the communities we serve. It might look like working with teachers in school settings, nurse talks at public health posts, or even outreach at a local festival. 

Reaching young people on the football pitch 

We don’t wait around in our clinics for young people to come to us: We go to them where they already are. That’s why Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM), MSI’s program in Malawi, hosted a “football bonanza” for two days in August to promote SRH services among young people in the Ntchisi and Dowa districts. 

Local leaders and organizations came together with BLM providers to provide essential SRH information to the hundreds of young people who came out for a day of sport. Trained health professionals set up booths to offer education on SRH myths, family planning methods, and STI and HIV testing. 

Equipped with information, young people were ready to make decisions about their sexual health—and many did. MSI offered contraceptive methods onsite, as well as HIV testing and counseling services. The result? Huge numbers of young women lined up to receive a contraceptive method, many for the first time. HIV testing in particular was so popular that providers were overwhelmed by the number of test requests. 

BLM’s football bonanza showcases that innovative approaches to SRH service provision appeal to young people everywhere. Bringing together sports and SRH education has proven to be an extremely effective way of connecting with young people in Malawi and promoting SRH services among them. 

Want to know more about MSI’s outreach to young people? 

In Kenya, we partnered with Youth for Health on an EU-funded project to organize workshops for teachers, guardians, community leaders, and peer educators on most effective SRH teaching practices. Participants told us that they not only saw a notable decrease in youth pregnancy rates after implementing these new approaches, but that they saw young people’s confidence drastically increase in their ability to talk about sex. Click here to hear directly from the beneficiaries of this program.