The most important figures of this project, which was carried out in cooperation
between PLAN International and the Breuckmann Foundation are:
Region: District Mzimba, see map, nr. 13
Duration: Dec. 2018 to Nov. 2021 ( extended until February 2022 )
Budget: 1.763.429 €
Which goals we wanted to achieve
improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of children and adolescents
raising awareness of sexual and reproductive health and rights for this group
of people
improving access to quality, youth-friendly and free health care and contraceptives
What had awaited us
The new Red List of Endangered Species also includes the Chambo, a food fish whose
population in Lake Malawi is now on the verge of collapse, not at least because of
the increasing consumption of the rapidly growing population in Malawi. This shows
in an impressive and depressing manner the fatal connection between the exploitation
of available resources and growing poverty and hunger. Although the average birth
rate has decreased from more than 6 per woman to almost 4 in recent years, the population
growth rate remains at about 3% per year, because about 46 % of Malawi's population
is younger than 15 years, and another quarter of the population is between 15 and
29 years old.
Due to the poor economic situation, most children and young people grow up in poverty
and precarious living conditions. This also affects their health care situation,
which affects their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Early sexual activity
combined with a lack of information and contraception contributes to a high HIV infection
rate and early pregnancies. This represents a major risk especially for girls and
young women. 54 % of all Malawian women marry before their 18th birthday, 8.8 % even
before their 15th birthday. This tradition of child marriage, although actually forbidden,
significantly increases the risk of early and unwanted pregnancy.
What we wanted to achieve
In cooperation with the local partners, Plan International and the Breuckmann Foundation
would like to contribute to the improvement of sexual and reproductive health and
rights of children and adolescents aged 10 - 24 in the district of Mzimba. With this
project we want to give 55,000 children and adolescents, 33,000 of them girls, access
to age-appropriate and high-quality information and health services.
To achieve this goal we shall train 200 employees of local health facilities such
as doctors and nurses in youth-friendly, gender-sensitive and inclusive health care.
Training and work of Youth Agents
Within the frame of this project, the Breuckmann Foundation focus on the training
and work of so-called Youth Agents. A total of 108 young people will be educated
and intensively trained in their communities as part of a 14-day training course.
These Youth Agents are then contact persons in the communities for questions on reproductive
health and contraception, they have access to contraceptives and have a direct connection
to the health centres through which the contraceptives are distributed.
We will provide bicycles to these Youth Agents and other voluntary community members
for their work, to reach the population living in remote areas, in a country where
public transport is extremly poor, and to maintain contact with health centres.
