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5th
National Students Conference communiqué
Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team
(SAYWHAT)
January 14, 2011
We
students from 33 tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe and representatives
from University of Pretoria, Catholic University Mozambique, University
of Kwazulu Natal, University of Namibia and University of Zambia
gathered during the SAYWHAT
National Student's Conference from the 12th to the 15th
of December 2010 at the Crown Plaza in Harare, acknowledge that
Sexual and Reproductive Health remains a priority and that rights
are essential as we enter into a new decade.
We appreciate
the Support of the Ministry of Health, United Nations Populations
Fund (UNFPA), Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT), Norwegian Students
and Academics International Fund (SAIH), and Zimbabwe National Family
Planning Council (ZNFPC).
We identify
priority areas around:
- Improving
access to quality student friendly services that are sensitive
to gender and the needs of students living with HIV and those
with special needs
- The need
to scale up condom and male circumcision interventions to encourage
uptake amongst students in tertiary institutions
- Budgetary
commitments to support institution based initiatives such as peer
education and life skills by college authorities, governments
and other partners
- Creating
Media programming and initiatives that includes new ICTs to relay
SRH information for students in tertiary institutions
- Development
for an M and E framework for SRH initiatives that will be used
by college authorities and line ministries
- Integration
of SRH, Gender and HIV for more effective responses that are complimentary
- Enshrining
the right to health within the bill of rights within the upcoming
constitution
- Supporting
research and documentation for evidence based SRH initiatives
for students in tertiary institutions
To achieve these
priority areas our focus should resonate around:
- Having youth
representatives within National bodies and councils to facilitate
resource mobilization and budgetary prioritization for student's
programming within structures such as the Global Fund Country
Coordinating Mechanism and the board of institutions such as National
AIDS Council and Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council
- Sexual and
Reproductive health programs that are gender sensitive and that
are demand driven and specific to the peculiar needs of students
- Taking commitments
and policies from paper to students through allowing them to be
leaders of today and realizing their capabilities of shaping SRH
responses
- Ensuring
political willingness by college authorities and line ministries
in committing adequate resources to support student driven SRH
initiatives.
- Developing
comprehensive curriculum based sexuality education for students
that is appropriate for the real and not perceived challenges
they face
- Interrogating
the structural and practical challenges that the termination of
Pregnancy Act pose for students in tertiary institutions with
improved efforts towards reinforcing messages on the provision
of post abortion care
We realize the
collective responsibility of Parliament,
line ministries, college authorities, students, funding and implementing
partners in realizing these priorities.
Visit the SAYWHAT
fact
sheet
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