FLN Newsletter 17

FutureLife-Now! has contributed significantly to systems-level changes in both education and health sectors by integrating climate change and health education into curricula, enhancing collaboration between sectors, empowering youth, advocating for supportive policies, and engaging communities. – Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) Representative [interviewed for the rapid evaluation]

As the second phase of FutureLife-Now! draws to an end, development consultants Southern Hemisphere were commissioned in August to conduct an evaluation of both phases, as well as of the programme’s role in mainstreaming the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Framework into national systems in the targeted Member States.

Using a review of documents, virtual and email interviews, and focus group discussions with learners, the Southern Hemisphere researchers looked to i) assess FutureLife-Now!’s effectiveness in achieving its objectives and its contributions to systemic change; (ii) evaluate how it built on the CSTL Framework and supported its mainstreaming;

One of FutureLife-Now!’s priorities is to make sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services more accessible for the learners in schools. For many young people, accessing these services is a challenge mainly because the service delivery point—usually a clinic—is located too far from them. But for the youth attending FutureLife-Now! schools, the situation has changed!

Earlier this year the FutureLife-Now! team in Malawi consulted with two key partners, namely the Ministry of Health and the Momentum Project, about conducting “youth-friendly health services outreach clinics” at venues that are convenient to learners. As a result, two approaches have been rolled out in the 40 FutureLife-Now! schools, both of which are aimed at increasing the number of learners who gain access to SRH information and the health services on offer.

In the first approach, FutureLife-Now! youth facilitators arrange for Ministry of Health officials to provide these services directly at the schools,

Bushu Secondary School, a modest institution located in Zimbabwe’s Shamva District, stands as a testament to the transformative power of community-led initiatives.

The reality of Bushu is that of a community operating within a socio-economic context marked by school dropouts due to the lure of artisanal gold mining, early marriage and substance abuse. Yet through its involvement in the FutureLife-Now! Programme, the school is emerging as a beacon of hope, confronting these challenges head-on.

The school’s proactive approach is exemplified by the recent self-initiated and self-funded “health service jamboree” it held in November. Over two hundred learners, parents and members of the community gathered together, providing the FutureLife-Now! country team and various of its partner organisations with a platform to disseminate vital information and foster community engagement.

The jamboree was graced by the presence of Chief Bushu, who articulated his strong endorsement of the FutureLife-Now!

Zabeta Ngoma is a determined Grade 10 pupil at Kapiri Day Secondary School, a rural school in the Kapiri District in Zambia. Having shown great promise academically, she was confronted by a challenge that threatened her scholastic journey.

Every day, Zabeta had to walk five kilometres to and then back from school as her family couldn’t afford the bus fare. The arduous trek was taking a toll on her mental wellbeing, and she was deeply unhappy. Then one day she attended a FutureLife-Now! club in which she found solace among friends and in the FutureLife-Now! facilitator, Renard Mwiinga.

The topic that day was mental health, and during the session, Renard sensed Zabeta’s distress. He created a safe space for her to unburden herself, and she shared her story with him. Through his empathetic listening, Renard helped Zabeta to confront her emotions, develop coping strategies and to recognise her own resilience.

A stated aim of FutureLife-Now! is that it develops healthy and empowered young people who can lead responses to 21st century challenges, including those related to climate change. A good example of this in practice is the “climate change fair” that FutureLife-Now! hosted at Thetsane High School.

Thetsane, in the Maseru District, has participated in the FutureLife-Now! Programme since Phase 1, benefitting from its many initiatives. Now, in Phase 2 it serves as a hub of support to the “new” schools that have joined the programme. In this support role, the school invited five other FutureLife-Now! high schools in the district— Abia, Lesia, Masowe, Puthiatsana and St Catherine—to come together for a fair aimed at promoting youth empowerment. By enhancing their knowledge and capacity to address the risks of climate change, and by promoting youth-led climate-focused activities, the youth were galvanised to mitigate the effects of climate change on their vulnerable school communities.