THE Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Africa Trust (SAT) on Saturday brought SRHR services as well as health and wellbeing activities at Westgate Shopping Centre.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
Youngsters were joined by adults in a 10 kilometre fun-run. SAT Zimbabwe Country operations manager Mrs Hamida Ismail- Mauto in an interview said the fun-run was meant to raise awareness on SRHR services to adolescents.
SAT just hosted a fun-run or a fun-walk. We were targeting adolescents and young people as a way to raise awareness on access to SRHR services and then also encourage exercise and good health and wellbeing,” she said.
She also said apart from the exercises, the adolecents had free health checks provided by Axis Solutions.
“That is why we suggested the 10 KM walk and thereafter the young people would have access to SRHR services mainly access to contraceptives and condoms and also access to get their Body Mass Index measured in terms of weight and height/. And everything regarding BMI. We partnered with Axis Solutions for them to be able to do health checks for us,” Mrs Ismail-Mauto said.
Mrs Ismail-Mauto noted the turn-out was not as anticipated.
“Because we were targeting young people I think the turn out was a bit low from the young people themselves,” she said.
A young 19 year old adolescent commended the organisers of the fun-day noting it provided her the opportunity to learn about SRHR.
“I am Yemurai Michelle Mudhiriza aged 19. This initiative was a great opportunity for us young people because there is interaction and we get to learn about sexual health which is very important with our generation. We need to know much about sexual health and also of our sexual health as young people.
“So, I think in our communities we must have more interactions, activities like this. It will also help with drug awareness campaigns and also as young people we will get to do something, keeping ourselves busy.
“We keep our bodies healthy. Like the marathon, it was very good thing. You burn off some fats. You know this is a very good initiative. We should have such kind of activities more often in the country,” she said.
