The project is going to unlock and strengthen the social capital of Religious leaders to ensure that Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of adolescent girls and young women in Malawi (Dedza District in Traditional Authority Tambala) are fully realized through improved capacities to make informed choices and improved access to Sexual Reproductive Health services for the elimination of child marriages and combat sexual gender based violence in targeted communities.
In Malawi, young people have limited access to SRHR information and services. The Country has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with approximately 1 in 2 girls married by the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2016) and high STI/HIV incidence among youth (Malawi National Youth Friendly Health Services Strategy 2015 to 2020). Despite the adoption of national strategies, policies and legislation to outlaw child marriage and end GBV, the practices remain widespread.
MANERELA+ is going to work with Religious Leaders who are a crucial building block to close the SRHR needs gap. MANERELA+'s work is rooted in the conviction that religious leaders have a role to play as agents of change to secure SRHR realization, ending HIV & AIDS related stigma and discrimination and advancing gender justice. The harness the social capital of faith leaders to promote the SR HR for adolescent girls and young women to address Child Marriages and gender based violence
The long term impact of the project is that the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of adolescent girls and young women in Malawi particularly in Dedza District in Traditional Authority Tambala will be fully realized through improved capacities to make informed choices and improved access to Sexual Reproductive Health services for the elimination of child marriages and combat sexual gender based violence in targeted communities.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
