Let’s play it safe

News   Hazviperi Mbizi and Chapter Banda   July 1, 2019
PIC: FPMA team and the students during the program
The Polytechnic Student Union (PSU) under the Health and Sanitation Department invited the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) representatives to offer their services to the students during the social weekend.

According to the FPAM Project Officer Florence Mshali, the aim was to reach out to university students, taking into account that they are the ones who are at risk in issues to do with unplanned pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). 

“Apart from teaching them about HIV prevention and encouraging them to get tested, we also donated condoms and emergency contraceptive pills for pregnancy and STI prevention,” Mshali said.

Commenting on the program, the PSU Health and Sanitation Director Innocent Mndala explained that they decided to invite these professionals because there is a high rate of female students withdrawing for a year because of pregnancy, a thing which could be controlled.

“It is a challenge, for students to have access to these services, I am happy that the FPAM employees have come at our doorstep to offer us these services,” he said.

A final year Environmental Health student Limbani Msuku commended the PSU for bringing this program especially during the social weekend which he said, many students get rational whereby engage in alcohol and drug abuse which leads to uninformed decision regarding sexual activities.

“Students risks getting sexually infected and get unplanned pregnancies during social weekend activities. The coming in of FPAM with their services will help reduce this risk,” Msuku said.

FPAM donated condoms, emergency pills, voluntary HIV and STI testing and answered any questions regarding their services.

 


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