BY: JUBILANT CHEYEZA BALOYI
The new zikhala Kanjani national prevention strategy was launched in the province to place youth at the centre of the fight against teen pregnancy, HIV/Aids and STIs. Nomagugu Simelane, Kwazulu-Natal Health MEC says fresh revolutionary approaches are need if the society is to rid itself of situations where girls as young as 10 are falling pregnant , while up to 1 300 girls between the ages of 15 and 24 get infected with HIV countrywide every week.
The MEC says the time has come for young people to be placed at the center of the fight against teen pregnancy, HIV/Aids and sexually-transmitted infection, and that parents need to get involved and be prepared to initiate and lead tough conversations about sex.
According to the Department of Health, the campaign rests on the integration of critical health, social services and youth development programmes. It entails social and behavioral change, communication and improving access to health products and services.
It is led by the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), co-ordinated primarily by provincial AIDS Council (PCAs) and activated by a range of government departments and civil society organisations.
Described as a more inclusive programme, Zikhala Kanjani is a successor to the ‘She Conquers’ campaign, which placed the focus singularly on adolescent girls and young women.
The campaign was also used for the unveiling of one of six new vending machines, which dispense free condoms and oral contraceptives with the potential to offer many more sexual reproductive health services, which will be distributed in various parts of KZN a part of a pilot project.
“It worries us that, even today, we still continue to get young people falling pregnant as early as from the age of 10 and upwards. It is a serious worry. It is a problem that we all need to put our heads together about and address as a matter of urgency. Working with the young sector, we should come up with a proper strategy that will help us address the matter. We absolutely need to do that because there is nothing that the department will be able to achieve on its own. We have to work together as a society and as youth leaders,” Simelane added.
