Pregnancy Prevention for 200+ Teenagers in Zambia

At our flagship Learning & Leadership Center in Kafue, Zambia, named the Amos Youth Centre or AYC locally, we recognize the importance of reaching younger audiences with sexual and reproductive health programming, including menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) education. In Zambia, resources on these topics remain scarce, leaving many girls and young women without adequate support.

Thanks to a Follow-On Grant Opportunity from USAID Youth Excel, our local team produced an inclusive storybook titled My Period, Our Story. This storybook was developed through a youth-led research initiative designed to address MHH challenges and foster greater awareness, particularly for girls and young women with disabilities. It also gave youth in the local community a chance to get involved, share their collective voices and help write the story. They even came up with, and voted on, the title.

Key Focus Areas of the MHH Project:

1. Raising Awareness: The storybook highlights various MHH products and promotes open discussions. It also emphasizes the importance of parental involvement, addressing findings that 75% of mothers trained on menstrual cups had not discussed them with their daughters.
2. Increasing Access to Information: This initiative aligns with our broader mission to reduce barriers to education for girls by addressing sexual and reproductive health-related challenges.
3. Promoting Community Engagement: Through partnerships and local stakeholder involvement, we aim to sustain and expand the impact of MHH education. Our work has now expanded to rural communities outside of Kafue, including the Chiawa Chiefdom that lies in a game park where girls and boys have limited access to educational resources.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Improved school attendance by reducing absenteeism linked to reproductive and menstrual health issues.
• Greater understanding of MHH among students, parents, and the community.
• Empowerment of young people, particularly girls, through leadership opportunities and advocacy skills development.

This work underscores our commitment to holistic, youth-centered solutions that enable Zambian youth to thrive academically and socially. To check out this new resource, visit our website at: https://www.africaneducationprogram.org/reproductivehealth

Thank you for your continued support!

Links:

• My Period, Our Story can be accessed on the AEP website
• African Education Program