Youths carrying a coffin with remains of Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria in Migori town

Youths from Migori County seek to build a consensus on how the government health institutions should best address their needs.

During a forum held by JIACTIVATE in Migori, a youth empowerment initiative, the top priority highlighted was the health status of the county, particularly in relation to reproductive health. The biggest reasons for concern included increased numbers of maternal deaths, unsafe abortions and early pregnancies among adolescents and limited access to reproductive health services and information.

Following the above Migori youth suggested ambitious yet achievable health policies such as increasing their access to high-quality, gender-sensitive sexual, reproductive health information and youth-friendly services. They also called upon leaders in the next government to review laws on Health Care, Rights of Patients, Medical Activity and Public Health.

“As a group of organizations we welcome the increased focus on adolescent because the return on investing in them is high; so are the costs of excluding them. We are united in our belief that a strong and deliberate investment in adolescent is necessary if we are to succeed in accelerating progress on the toughest global challenges, achieve equality and advance human rights.” Says Network for Adolescents and Youth of Africa

Although public health efforts have made some progress it is still noteworthy to actively involve the youth in programmes that are meant to reverse these trends. Particularly by equipping the available youth friendly centers and involving young people in Migori’s county budget such as budget-line for Family Planning to enable young people access contraceptive information and services.

Another area of concern highlighted by Migori youth is food security. Living in Migori where the environment is favorable, agriculture is likely to provide the main source of income. Participants in the forum therefore agreed that it is vital for them to engage themselves in farming as food security is a growing concern in the country.

JIACTIVATE pledges to use the unique perspectives shared in these forums to shape the strategy, aiming to guide policies suggested in the youth declaration to be presented on July 4th, 2017 to all political parties.

JIACTIVATE is a nationwide social movement by and for the youth, seeking to empower them to actively participate in matters pertaining to their destiny and further find a sense of responsibility to themselves and their country. The campaign has the view to constructively engage policy makers, several high-profile artists, influencers and youth groups in matters affecting the youth through a series of activities as well as participating in conversations on digital platforms. See additional information on https://jiactivate.org/

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