“Youth empowerment is vital for the country’s development in the 21st century. We encourage education stakeholders to join hands in tackling sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention, gender equality and climate change issues,” said Bukelwa Ntlabati, the MIET AFRICA FutureLife-Now! (FLN) Country Manager.
She was addressing participants at an integrated service delivery jamboree held recently at Bwaila Secondary School in Lilongwe, Malawi.
The jamboree was hosted by the Malawi Ministry of Education Science and Technology in coordination with MIET AFRICA, with the aim of cementing partnerships among local and international organisations that implement education programmes, as well as to advocate for the FLN programme. The day also gave service providers an opportunity to exhibit and give information on the services they offer to the communities and the public, such as HTC services.
Malawian Central West Education Division representative, Joyce Hamsin, emphasised that the FLN programme is crucial in equipping the youth with the knowledge and skills to enable them to improve their lives, and pledged that her Department would work collaboratively with stakeholders for the smooth implementation of the FLN programme in the country.
Attending the event were representative from various government departments and NGOs, as well as head teachers, teachers, youth facilitators, students, mother groups and members of parent–teacher associations from host school Bwaila Secondary, and nearby schools Ngowe Community Day Secondary, Mbinzi Community Day Secondary and Chinsapo Secondary.
Guests were entertained by performances by students from the four participating schools: a drama by Chinsapo Secondary; poems by Mbinzi Community Day Secondary; traditional dances by Ngowe Community Day Secondary; and a dialogue on climate change by Bwaila. A symbolic tree-planting ceremony took place, in line with the COP 25 “Go Green Project”.
