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Abstract:
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Malawi is one of the countries with high infected and affected HIV/AIDS rates. These rates are high among the young and productive people especially girls. SRH challenges are the main causes of school dropouts among girls, hence increasing illiteracy levels among women. This study was therefore conducted to get a clear understanding from the girls themselves of what they would want to be done so that their sexual reproductive health (SRH) is improved. The other objective of this study was to improve the understanding of the barriers to sexual reproductive health rights for young people, with a view to inform policy makers on strategies that would be developed and implemented in Malawi. The study was conducted in two districts Lilongwe and Thyolo, representing urban and rural settings. Purposive sampling was used to select school zones with highest dropout rates in the two districts (Mwatibu and Mpinji zones; Lilongwe and Thyolo respectively). Ten schools were selected (4 primaries and 1 cdss) from each zone. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected. A sample size of 200 school going girls was selected. The other categories of people who were interviewed were school drop outs, mother group leaders, headteachers and PEAs. Quantitative data entry, cleaning and analysis was done using SPSS version 16.5. Descriptive data anlysis was done by producing cross tabulation to compare the urban and rural, primary and secondary outcomes. Qualitative data from focus group and key informant interviews was analyzed by identifying the main themes of discussions in line with the discussion themes and topics. This study reveals that girls drop out of school due to early pregnancies, cultural practices which force them into early marrieges, orphanhood peer pressure and poverty. The study further reveals that school going girls in rural areas do not have adequate SRHR information and services compared to girls in urban settings. The study suggests that school dropout rate can be reduced if bursaries are provided to most needy girls, also if SRHR sensitisation campaign and services are provided to the school going girls to avoid teenage pregnancies. Communities should also be sensitized on the cultural practices which fuel the transmission of STIs including HIV/AIDS and early pregnancies among the youths. The needs assessment has also revealed that those who dropped out of school should be re-admitted back into school. |