dyton mupawaenda
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke-Health Buzz
For some years, there have been some negative stories about universities and other tertiary institutions.
These have included such subjects as promiscuity, drugs, high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (most of which have developed resistance to treatments), among many other negative vices.
It is no secret that many parents have thought twice before enrolling their children at universities.
Not that the education standards are low, but because they fear that their child may fail to resist these vices and get hooked.
The students themselves will be the first to admit that a lot happens on campus and it only takes those with a strong will and self-discipline to overcome.
The Midlands State University (MSU) has not been an exception on this trend.
But not all is doom and gloom at this institution, which has churned out quite a number of outstanding graduates over the past two decades.
Things have been changing for the better.
MSU students have taken charge of their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with the help of a dynamic programme being implemented by the Students and Youth Working on reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) that has improved students’ access to accurate Sexual Reproductive Health information and awareness on topics like condom use, drug abuse, and other services.
This has resulted in the establishment of a student resource centre which offers information, entertainment, and referrals for on-campus or external healthcare.
The establishment of the resource centre was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with funding from the Governments of Netherlands and Switzerland under the Safeguard Young People programme and the Governments of Britain, Ireland and the European under the Health Resilience Fund.
And demand has been high, showing that there was an information gap which needed to be addressed.
Not only has the resource centre created demand for health information and services, it has also recognised the importance of student leadership, and trained peer educators to lead in the provision of information for the student body.
This has allowed students to access peer-to-peer support for SRH and gender-based violence (GBV) issues.
So with the students at the institution now empowered to advocate for and among themselves, behaviours are slowly changing.
Michele Munjoma, a level 2.2 Public Management and Governance student, who is also a peer educator says at one point she was afraid of enrolling at MSU, but the resource centre had helped her cope with the pressures of her surroundings.
“Even before I came here, I had heard that MSU was full of promiscuous girls and boys. I heard about the drug abusers, the ‘blessers’ and to some extent it got me scared. Especially when reports from the clinic showed that we had a lot of students coming in with STIs,” she said.
“So, this engagement by SATWHAT and the peer educators programme helped me. They have made us normalise talking about condoms and to a greater extent this has helped because we have seen a lot of people turning up at the resource centre, getting help and slowly but surely we have seen a reduced number of these STIs and even drug and substance abuse is slowly ebbing.
“As peer educators, we have printed T-shirts with messages so whenever you wear it, someone will ask you about it and already you have initiated a dialogue. This results in them opening up and the dialogue can influence some of their decisions positively. We make it a point that everyone who is involved in dialogue about any topic is aware of what they are exposed to when they engage in these acts and what it leads to for us as young people. It doesn’t end on campus but spills into the community because once you normalise it on campus you affect the whole community as they take it with them to the community.”
As the peer educators are playing their part, the clinic has also reaped the benefits of these engagements.
To ensure the effectiveness of the centre, the clinic on campus closely works with the peer educators who assist in pushing referrals for different SRH services required by the students.
The students at MSU are not only encouraged, but actively nurtured to take up important positions and advocate for the enhancement of their overall well-being and the safeguarding of their rights both within the college premises and in the wider community.
Sister Margaret Muchikichi, who is the matron for the resource centre, concurs that the peer educator programme has made an impact.
“This resource centre is important because it is youth friendly. We know that sometimes the students do not feel comfortable to get SRH information from the clinic so we utilise this centre where they can get it from the peer educators.
“We have trained the peer educators well and they are knowledgeable about health, mental health and many other issues. When the students are referred by their peers, they take up services better and we have seen this work,” she said.
But the resource centre has not only focused on giving SRH services and information.
It has provided young girls with a platform to realise their full potential and be active in reducing their exposure to the ills that hinder them from doing that.
To date, students have participated in movements such as the Web for Life Network, which is a safe space for female students and young women aiming at advancing and advocating for the recognition and protection of female students and nurture them into leaders.
Other active movements at MSU include SRHR defenders and TB champions.
“We have given them information about gender issues and we invite different stakeholders who come and talk to them and they in turn disseminate that information to other students. Among these peer educators, we have 15 HIV prevention champions and most of these are girls whom we have trained. This has empowered them as girls and this is what we really want,” said Sister Machikichi.
It would be safe to say that such interventions have slowly managed to change the direction towards self-destruction that most students had embarked on.
It has improved even the self-confidence of the students as they are more empowered.
Midlands and Masvingo provincial programmes officer for Saywhat Mr Nkosilomusa Ngwenya says it is not easy to reach out to young people with information and services when they are not youth friendly.
To ensure that students do not shun services, peer educators and the resource centre play a big role.
“This is a walk in centre where students can come in at any time and peer educators can interact with them discussing health related issues and in a way creating demand for a certain service or making them aware of the service,” said Mr Ngwenya.
“They also have behavioural change communication. In the process that is when we start having students taking services that affect them in everyday life. We have had instances when a student is not confident that they can access services at the clinic for some reason, we then make sure that we refer that student to another service provider where they can get the service and we make a follow up to make sure they go to the service.”
While the impact of any programme would need to be quantified, it is safe to say that this resource centre has made its mark.
Not only for the student population but also for the communities surrounding it.
“For us as SAYWHAT, we are confident about the programme and we are seeing its yield in terms of behaviour, motivation and participation of students particularly in issues to do with their well-being,” said Mr Ngwenya.
“If you see students now being willing to participate in a policy dialogue about sexual harassment on campus, it means that they are aware of the policies that affect them directly and indirectly.
“The huge uptake of HIV testing services means students are being reached with information and even the basic uptake of condoms means they are now aware that they need to protect themselves. They are coming in with their sexual partners for testing so it means they are empowered.”
Such youth-friendly services, if implemented in all universities, will definitely create a safe space for students to discuss sensitive topics openly and confidentially.
This will equip students with the knowledge and resources to make informed choices about their sexual health and result in improved health outcomes. By increasing access to SRH services, universities can contribute to a reduction in unintended pregnancies, STIs, and unsafe abortions.
In the end, youth-friendly SRH services in universities will definitely promote a healthier and more empowered student population.
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Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter