White Ribbon Alliance predicts SRHR crisis following donors’ pullout

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) has predicted crisis in the uptake of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) services following a decision by donors to pull out their funding to the sector.

WRA executive director Hester Nyasulu made the remarks in Salima on Thursday during a two-day Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Consensus building workshop that was held from 13-14 October, 2021, with the aim of identifying the best strategies for collaboration among SRHR stakeholders.

Nyasulu said some donors have announced a cut in financing in the SRHR and that this will have a huge impact because a lot of programmes on awareness and family planning that organisations are involved in depend on donor funding.

He said it is probably high time that the Malawi Government started to move towards self-financing of the sector.

“To see what can we do on our own, the need for the private sector to come in with their corporate social responsibility , the individual input of Malawians who are concerned so that we all come together and act to be more sustainable,” said Nyasulu.

He warned that any delays to support the sector will result in the country missing out on SRHR goals.

He stressed the need to work hard in making sure young girls are being supported and most young girls are able to move up and delay their pregnancy until they are ready to do that.

UNFPA representative Young Hong said there are many things that can be done to address the issues of SRHR but the most important thing is to realise the impact of the population boom especially that 30 percent of the newborns are from teenage mother’s.

She said SRHR need to be ensured ,universal access for all people need to be ensured the need to access the SRHR information wherever they are .

“it is more important that policy makers are addressing the issues of teen pregnancy as well as and control the population boom so that goes beyond economical and social capacity for the government and the society,” she said.

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