The initiative has been designed to improve availability and access of information regarding family planning at community level.

“The training aims at fostering decision making among youths regarding their sexual and reproductive health which would further reduce incidences of adolescents pregnancies, unsafe abortion and teen mothers,” says Donald Makwakwa, FPAM Executive Director.

FPAM has, with support from UNFPA, provided the agents with bicycles and personal protective equipment among other resources worth about K5 million as they get deployed to their respective catchment areas.

Director of Reproductive Health Services in the ministry of health, Fanny Kachale, commended FPAM for supporting government’s effort in ensuring safe motherhood.

She says the agents, 23 of them youth, will play a vital in reaching out to fellow youth with the services as most of them feel shy to access them in public at the health facilities.

Chiradzulu District Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Elina Khonje, says the district recorded 12, 792 deliveries from July 2020 to July 2021, of which 3, 606 are girls aged between 10 and 19.

“Most of these young girls conceal their pregnancies until late stage in fear of their parents. As a result, they suffer serious motherhood complications such as hemorrhage and anemia,” she said.

One of the trained agents, Beauty Mlenga, they will now be able to reach out to their fellow young people with courage as they have gained experience after the training.

she says the bicycles will make them go furthest with information on sexual reproductive health as mobility challenges have now been solved.

Malawi has 58% contraceptive prevalence rate.