By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI- With rampant growth in suicidal issues as well as drug and substance abuse among the communities, SolidarMed, in partnership with the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council through its Adolescence Heath Project, recently brought a health clinic for the youth In Chiredzi.
The clinic was brought to Tshovani Stadium, where mental health screening, adolescence reproductive health, family planning, HIV and Aids testing and counselling was being done for free.
In an interview with TellZim News SolidarMed Project Officer Tawanda Magara said the organisation in partnership with ZNFPC and the Ministry of Health wanted to help adolescence with correct information about Sexual Reproductive Health as well as substance abuse.
“Today is a Youth day, where we are partnering with ZNFPC and the Ministry of Health and Child Care to educate the adolescence about issues of Sexual reproductive health (SRH), drug and substance abuse through mental health screening to avoid suicides caused by anxiety and relationships as this age is very delicate,” said Magara.
Magara said issues of drug and substance abuse had reached a certain level in Chiredzi as drug peddlers were using injections.
“This programme will also help the adolescence on the dangers of drugs as drug peddlers here in Chiredzi are now using injections to drug youths, where they later in turn draw blood of an injected individual in order to drug others, which is now spreading blood related diseases like HIV and Aids,” said Magara.
One adolescent and Peer Educator, Tatenda Ganduri said the program was very beneficial to their age, especially on issues to do with drug and substance abuse, mental health as well as Sexual Reproductive Health issues.
“This programme is beneficial to the youths who are deeply embedded into drug and substance abuse as well as sexual reproductive health. There are experts in those tents educating us on issues to do with sexual reproductive health as well and mental health issues, condomising as well as abstinence issues,” said Ganduri.
SolidarMed is a dynamic organization with a vision of engendering quality health care in disenfranchised communities through its partnership with the Ministry of Health and Childcare and supports the national health strategy in Masvingo province through locally embedded projects in the field of HIV/TB care, Maternal and Neonatal Health, and Non-Communicable diseases.
