By MARTIN MUSUNKA –
THE Zambia Interfaith Networking Group (ZINGO), in collaboration with First Quantum Minerals (FQM) Kansanshi Mining, has reached out to 414 people in the Protect and Educate a Girl-Child project aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies and early marriages in North-Western Province.
Out of the 414 people reached, 242 were parents and 172 were in-and-out of school youths, in activities that took place in October and November, which also saw outreach events being supported to ensure effectiveness of messaging and moving target groups up the ladder of behaviour change.
According to the December 2015 report, a total of 20 in-school youths were trained in peer education skills during the period under review.
Arising from the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between FQM and ZINGO for which the mining company has committed US$60,000, the project has been targeted at building capacity of communities to respond to challenges of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Kyafukuma and Mbonge areas of Solwezi by December 2016.
Some of the highlights in the implemented activities include the training of participants, drawn from the targeted communities, in peer education as agents of interpersonal behavior change.
The purpose of the training which was undertaken at Kansanshi Foundation in Solwezi, was to equip the young people with skills that will enable them to discuss issues of sexuality with their fellow youths who were also enlightened on the dangers of early marriages and teen pregnancies.
“The training covered many topics such as sex and sexuality, growing up, illicit behaviours that influences teen pregnancies and its dangers and benefits of education,” reads the report.
Following various engagement sessions, the newly trained peer educators started sensitising their fellow youths on the dangers of early marriages and teen-pregnancies, covering various issues such as the causes and effects of engaging in harmful activities and how to deal with parents that forced them into early marriages.
In Kyafukuma, the African Methodist Church was also involved in the activities and invited the change agents to interact with their fellow youths and trained parents who were also part of the meeting to sensitise the 38 youths on the dangers of early marriages, early pregnancies and alcohol abuse.
At this gathering, the youths were taken through the 10 ways young people can avoid unwanted sex. To know their own limits, youths were encouraged to learn to say no to sex before the right time.
The report further says “During the period under review, the Community Based facilitators continued carrying out outreach activities in Mbonge and Kyafukuma communities. With the support from Village and church leaders, communities are now responding to the messages that are being disseminated.
This has encouraged the community members to start reporting cases to the ZINGO community Based Facilitators whenever they see any poor communication between parents and children when it comes to issues of marriage and education.”- Story courtesy of SUMA SYSTEMS