BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The Government continues to take the Nation’s health seriously. This has been done through various health activations in communities
Health activation was held recently for Gege Inkhundla. Health Activation is all about people being responsible for their own health. At Compass, it can be defined as a behaviour modification as it pertains to health and the use of healthcare services.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with the Government and Halt project conducted health activation at Gege Inkhundla.
The event targeted Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) who have been part of Stepping Stone Plus sessions plus those that have completed the module.
Eligible AGYW were also targeted for enrolment into the project.
During the ongoing stepping stone plus sessions, it emerged that there are high rates of teen pregnancies and drug usage.
Therefore, the activation aimed at dialoguing on how these can be eradicated as it contributes to GBV issues in the communities, particularly among young women.
As a result of this activation; the AGYW were able to identify the issues that perpetuate teen pregnancies and drug abuse thus coming up with solutions.
During the dialogues, it was highlighted that among other things, the high number of unemployed youth and lack of recreational activities in the communities contribute to the high level of drug abuse in the communities.
A proposed solution shared by the AGYW was to reduce the restrictions involved when applying for the various SME funding at the constituency so that young women can easily access these funds and be assisted to start their own income-generating activities.
The project collaborated with the Gege Area Program and other implementation partners including the local REPS, Gege Local Clinic and Naticc.
Gege Member of Parliament (MP) Musa Shongwe said they were happy with the programme. He said the community needed a chance to learn about their health and have enough access to it.
“We live in a culture of reactive care. Research shows that only 21 per cent of people get routine physicals and less than 20 per cent get recommended cancer screenings.
“As a result, illnesses are caught later, when they’re more complicated and more expensive to treat. In addition, people struggle to be good healthcare consumers due to the lack of transparency around healthcare costs and quality. They need tools and resources to navigate today’s complicated healthcare landscape,” said Shongwe.
