By Steria Manda
Faith leaders have been urged to take an active role in promoting sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) to address the challenges faced by youths and women in accessing these rights.
The Norwegian Church Aid-Dan Church Aid (NCA-DCA) highlighted the critical role faith communities can play in advocating for SRHR among people from all walks of life.
Stefan Jansen, NCA-DCA Country Director, emphasized the importance of collaboration during an advocacy meeting with religious mother bodies in Lilongwe.
“The church has the influence and capacity to bring about meaningful change by championing these issues,” said Jansen. “We hope to see activities that integrate SRHR advocacy into their ongoing programs,” he added.
Reverend Cliff Nyekanyeka, Executive Director of the Blantyre Synod’s Health and Development Commission, acknowledged the call and expressed the Synod’s commitment to addressing SRHR challenges.
“We are committed to promoting health and development initiatives that uphold the dignity and rights of women and girls,” said Nyekanyeka.
He noted that youths in the church also indulge themselves in sexual activities, hence a need to expose them to SRHR messages.
“We need to advise them correctly on these issues to avoid challenges in future. Most of them are young, but they need to be advised correctly for them to make right decisions about their future,” stressed Nyekanyeka.
In his remarks, Sheikh Afick Riaadi Kangomba, National Education Coordinator for the Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM), said teachings concerning SRHR are championed in most religious institutions, but they are not comprehensive as they are supposed to be.
He noted that most of the messages are not clear, hence most people become reluctant to access them since they are not aware of some of the information related to these SRHR.
Kangomba also bemoaned that most of the teachings target only girls, yet in most cases, boys play a crucial role in violating these rights. He therefore encouraged his fellow religious leaders not to leave out boys in delivering such messages.
The meeting brought together religious leaders from the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Seventh Day Adventist (SDA), and members of the Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM).
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