Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress

#Inspire Inclusion

Students And Youth Working on reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) joins communities and partners in celebrating International Women’s Day. In a country where 52% of population is female, SAYWHAT recognizes the crucial role of inclusion in achieving gender equality. When Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

This year’s theme: “Invest in women, Accelerate Progress” underscores women’s well-being in all aspects of life for the creation of prosperous economies and a healthy planet. In the last 2 months disturbing statistics and news on the well being of adolescent girls and young women surfaced. The country saw stories of adolescent girls engaging in sex work in rural areas, young women committing suicide due to early pregnancy and relationship issues and increases in the adolescent girls who are getting pregnant and testing HIV positive during antenatal bookings. SAYWHAT recognizes that stories of women’s struggle for quality require a collective effort for all and as youth-led organization, we invest in adolescent girls and young women through various interventions including the Girls Education Advocacy in the Region (GEAR) alliance, Web for Life Network, and our Child Protection Call Center referral pathway.

As we commemorate International Women’s Day, SAYWHAT reinforces its dedication in ensuring inclusive and equitable access to quality education by adolescent girls in rural and farming communities. Through the GEAR Alliance, SAYWHAT addresses the shrinking of socioeconomic spaces that negatively affect the access to quality education by girls in rural and farming communities. SAYWHAT’s aim is to enforce a conducive learning environment for young girls to have their educational rights fulfilled. We believe by empowering girls with quality education we address vulnerabilities to social and economic hardship that contribute to the reduction of adolescent sex work, teenage pregnancies, and child marriages. 

SAYWHAT also recognizes that climate change disproportionately affects adolescent girls and young women with direct impacts on their reproductive health. When global temperatures rise and we experience extreme weather events such as droughts, adolescent girls and young women may face difficulties in managing menstruation, accessing maternal healthcare, increases in sexual exploitation and intimate partner violence. Through the Web for Life Network for Girls, SAYWHAT invests in innovative spaces and safe zones where female students and youth discuss environmentally sustainable practices and are capacitated to organize and lead in health interventions including the compounding effects of Climate Change. Adolescent girls and young women seeking information on the Web for Life platform, can call our Toll-free 577. The toll-free can also be used to report abuse, access reproductive health services as well as free mental health support and counselling.

On this International Women’s Day, SAYWHAT takes this opportunity to encourage adolescent girls and young women to learn about their reproductive health. Through SAYWHAT Smart Learners Hub available at https://smartlearnershub.net/ adolescent girls and young women can enroll for free and receive a certificate upon completion. The Smart Learners Hub provides comprehensive information that enhances young people’s health and wellbeing. In addition, SAYWHAT calls upon the government and the country to engage girls and women in the promotion of green skills, decision-making process, supporting their innovations and amplifying their voices. In doing so, we create futures where both the environment, and adolescent girls and young women thrive in their health, studies, and professions.