Kachila Youth Initiative promotes access to accurate information and quality services on sexual and reproductive health, particularly for adolescents and young people.
Kachila Youth Initiative promotes access to accurate information and quality services on sexual and reproductive health, particularly for adolescents and young people.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) remain a critical development priority in Malawi under the National Health Policy, which mandates the provision of accessible, equitable, and quality health care. In Karonga District, adolescents and young people aged 10–24 years face persistent SRHR challenges, including teenage pregnancy, early motherhood, and limited access to comprehensive family planning information. Teenage pregnancy remains high, with 3,102 cases reported in 2022 and 1,966 in 2023, exposing young girls to increased risks of delivery complications, unsafe abortions, and school dropouts. Maternal health services are available through health facilities and outreach clinics, and early antenatal care attendance has improved; however, post-partum haemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal deaths, underscoring the need for continued prevention and early health-seeking behaviour among young mothers.
HIV AND AIDS
The organization works to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV and AIDS.
HIV and AIDS remain a key public health and development concern in Karonga District, despite notable progress in reducing prevalence. HIV prevalence declined from 10.5% in 2016 to 7.2% in 2021, reflecting the impact of coordinated multisectoral responses and policy implementation. The district has an estimated 17,780 people living with HIV, with 349 new infections annually, and an ART coverage of 91%, aligned with national progress toward the 95-95-95 targets. However, HIV incidence among the sexually active population (15–49 years) remains at 3.3%, with adolescents and young people continuing to face heightened vulnerability.
Kachila promotes early childhood development as a foundation for lifelong wellbeing, focusing on children aged 3-8 year through community-led approaches.
Kachila addresses these gaps by strengthening community capacity and ownership of ECD services. Under Strategic Objective 2: Promoting the wellbeing of children for holistic growth and development by 2028, Kachila builds the capacity of parents, caregivers, ECD committees, and community leaders through structured trainings and sensitization. This includes developing and implementing ECD communication and training packages to improve knowledge on child development, CBCC management, and caregiver roles. With only 226 out of 1,124 caregivers (20.1%) trained in the district, Kachila prioritizes improving caregiver skills to enhance the quality of care provided to young children.
The organization promotes gender equality, social inclusion, and good governance at community level.
Kachila Youth Initiative addresses gender inequality, girls’ education, and gender-based violence (GBV) as interconnected development challenges in Karonga District. The district continues to register high levels of school dropouts among girls and boys due to child marriage and teenage pregnancy, particularly in the age groups 10–14 and 15–19 years. Despite the Ministry of Education’s school readmission policy, which allows young mothers to return to school through mother group structures, enforcement remains weak. Follow-up efforts by mother groups are often undermined by parental resistance, where dowry and early marriage are prioritized over education, as highlighted in Education Sector and Child Not Bride (CNB) reports.
Kachila Youth Initiative promotes access to accurate information and quality services on sexual and reproductive health, particularly for adolescents and young people.
