Exploring factors influencing access to sexual and reproductive health services for learners in primary and secondary schools in Malawi
| dc.contributor.author | Mwalabu, Gertrude | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-12-22T10:51:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-12-22T10:51:55Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-10-08 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) is an indigenous, non-profit making and nonpolitical local NGO established in 1999 registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act. FPAM is affiliated to International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) as a Member Association. It exists to provide comprehensive youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services to young people aged between 10 and 24. FPAM targets young people in the rural underserved communities in the provision of integrated youth friendly Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information and services using static and community-based approaches. However, 29% of women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing; 22% have had a live birth and 7% are pregnant with first child. At this age, net school attendance ratio falls from 94% in primary school to 17% in secondary school (NSO and ICF 2017). Young people often receive conflicting, inaccurate and incomplete sexuality information and education which exposes them to sexual abuse, coercion, exploitation, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) including learners in primary and secondary schools and has led to. This often leads to high school drop rates and poor SRH outcomes including unwanted pregnancies and early childbearing among learners. It is from this perspective that FPAM with funding from Human Sciences Research Council, proposes to conduct a study with learners from standard five to form four, parents/guardians and key informants to explore factors that influence access to SRHR services by learners in Primary and secondary schools in Malawi. The aim of the study therefore is to explore the factors that influence access to SRH service among learners in primary and secondary schools in order to inform policy and health practice. This cross- sectional study will utilize both quantitative and qualitative methods. The literature review and qualitative data will be used to supplement the baseline survey to provide the contextual understanding of the factors influencing access to SRHR information and services by learners. Data will be collected through analysis of relevant policy documents and studies, survey, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews in three districts of Mzimba, Dedza and Machinga. In these districts, FPAM has established structures at both district and community levels. Questionnaires will be administered to learners. Focus group discussions will be conducted with learners (separate groups for primary and secondary school learners), parents/guardians and teachers. In-depth interviews will be conducted with key stakeholders. Key players at national, district and community levels will participate as sources of information to support the process of documenting strategies that will support linking schools to SRHR services. The study further seeks to identify the perspectives of the learners, parents/guardians, teachers and key stakeholders on linking schools to SRHR in order to share this information with the line ministries of Education, Health and Youth for the purpose of developing harmonized guidelines that supports access to SRH services by school going youths. The study also intends to establish the presence of documents in support of linking schools to SRHR which includes provision of comprehensive sexual education in schools. FPAM has therefore engaged services of a consultant, an expert in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Dr Gertrude Grey Tiwonge Mwalabu (See Appendix 11), to conduct the study. The results will reveal the SRH needs and experiences of learners, factors influencing the SRH services in primary and secondary schools and improve quality of sexual and reproductive health outcomes of these learners. The results will further provide evidence-based data to inform policy makers and health practices about comprehensive and developmentally-appropriate strategies that will be realistic in primary and secondary schools, in facilitating optimal SRH outcomes among learners in Malawi. The results will be disseminated at national and district levels as advocacy tool for policy makers. Copies of the same report will also be sent to the relevant academic institutions, COMREC, and selected relevant organizations in SRHR. The results will further bu published and shared widely both locally and internationally through the Human Sciences Research Council. | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Family Planning Association of Malawi International Planned Parenthood Federation | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://rscarchive.kuhes.ac.mw/handle/20.500.12988/801 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Kamuzu University of Health Sciences | en_US |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | Protocol;P.08/20/3112 | |
| dc.title | Exploring factors influencing access to sexual and reproductive health services for learners in primary and secondary schools in Malawi | en_US |
| dc.type | Plan or blueprint | en_US |