|
Back to Index
National
Students' Conference report
Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team
(SAYWHAT)
December 31, 2009
Download
this document
- Acrobat
PDF version (1.01MB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Executive
summary
The Students
and Youths Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT)
hosted 60 students from 30 tertiary institutions during its 4th
National Students Conference from the 16th to the 18th of December
2009 under the theme "Healthy Students for a prosperous Nation."
Through presentations,
parallel sessions and group discussions led by programmers from
the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, UNFPA, SAfAIDS,
YET, PSI to
mention but a few the conference intended to:
- Outline how
Healthy Students are a potent resource to a prosperous nation
- Interrogate
the sexual and reproductive health responses that have been undertaken
in tertiary institutions
- Provide
Information on Key strategies on SRHR that have been introduced
in 2009
- Contextualize
the debate on constitution making, bill of rights and rights based
approach to sexual and reproductive health rights
- Provide a
platform for students to create sexual and reproductive health
responses that addresses their challenges
- Allow for
priority setting on sexual and reproductive health concerns among
students
Among the key
issues that came out was the need for a universal curriculum on
SRHR for tertiary institutions. The delegates also reiterated that
there is need for clear monitoring and evaluation and coordination
of SRHR programs within tertiary institutions. In light of the risk
posed by multiple and concurrent partnerships there was a call for
behavioral change amongst all students and focus on life skills
and livelihoods training to sustain such.
SAYWHAT was
advised to commit to more institutional visits, regional conferences
and information dissemination programs to reach out to more youths
including those with special interests such as youths with a disability.
Government on the other hand was tasked to ensure that there is
review of relevant policies such as the National Youth policy and
that they should be operational through well coordinated strategies.
The constitution
making process was identified as an opportunity that can ensure
the
realization of health as a right including sexual and reproductive
health. There was interest over exploring emerging issues such as
male circumcision and the relationship between climate change and
reproductive health.
Generally there
was a call for commitment among all students, college authorities
and SAYWHAT's membership for more effective responses that
addresses the real SRH challenges obtained in tertiary institutions.
Download
full report
Visit the SAYWHAT
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
