A typical day for Paul Kanyimbiri, a supervisor at Lunzu BLM Drop-in Centre, starts at 5 am because in his own words, “There is no substitute for hard work; The future belongs to those who live intensely in the present”.
The just married youth is not a male chauvinist: he helps his companion with domestic chores before taking a bath and breakfast.
As he sets-off for work at 6:45 am, his mind races and hallucinates on the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) sermon he has to give to fellow youth who will fl ock to the centre at 9 am.
The 23-year old ensures that the offi ce premise has been cleaned is tidy before going into SRH counseling sessions. These are one to one sessions with youth who have problems related to SRH. He refers to BLM clinics any cases that need clinicians’ attention.
Paul is well equipped for such sessions: he has had training in CBDA (Midima BLM Training Centre – 4 weeks); Life Skills (Peace Corps US – 3 weeks); Peer Education (Save the Children US – 1 week); Advocacy (Malawi Institute of Management – 1 week); Strategic Management (Save the Children – 1 week); and Resource Centre Management (Save the Children US – 1 week), computing (Kuka Lodge - 8 weeks).
The Drop-in Centre Manager is one of those youths who was never sure about a career he wanted to pursue. After successfully completing his form 4 at Chipoka Secondary School in 2001, he pursued a course in Electrical Installation. He did not graduate from this course.
In 2002 he joined BLM as volunteer and was trained as a CBDA. In 2004 BLM offered him a job as a Drop-in Centre Supervisor due to his outstanding performance. After the counseling and the SRH talk, basic computer lessons come in. He conducts these lessons with the aid of two IT specialists in the well equipped computer lab.
“Such lessons boost our patronage. On average, we get 100 youths per day – mainly aged between 14 - 25”, he says adding that the Drop-in Centre really meets its objective of keeping the youth busy and making them desist promiscuity. Drama/ Video documentaries on SRH are viewed after the computer lessons.
A typical afternoon for Mr Kanyimbiri sees him going into villages to reach out more youths with SRH sensitizations campaign. He is joined by Mobile VCT Clinicians and affi liate youth clubs. The Executive Committee for Drop-in Centre, comprising of Secretary, Treasurer and two Coordinators takes charge of regulating sports and other recreational activities as the manager goes on the campaigns. Paul prides himself as an achiever: “You know Lunzu has got a big market, it is considered an ideal resting place for truck drivers and there are so many initiation ceremonies. As such there is so much prostitution.
I have managed to reach out to all these vulnerable groups with messages of abstinence and protected sex. “I have seen so many youths transformed many coming for VCT after the campaigns and so many coming for free condoms.” “I have become a celebrity in Lunzu: Chiefs, parents, prostitutes and the youth know me and respect me so much”, he adds Paul says there is also a higher number of youths coming for STI treatment just after Christmas and immediately after the rain season (people have money after selling farm produce). “We also try and to intensify SRH campaigns during such periods”, he says adding that all youths below the age of 25 get free STI treatment from all BLM clinics.
“Another big challenge for us is that most youths are misinformed: so many youths believe they cannot contract STIs by using the withdrawal method, others believe they have to put on two condom. There are also some extremist who preach that there is nothing to stop the spread of HIV, be it faithfulness or condoms and they just go for unprotected sex”, he says.
Paul has also learnt so much from exchange visits to other Drop-in centers in Karonga, Ntcheu, Area 24 and Midima. Hopefully, Paul will learn from more exchange visits soon as BLM is planning to increase the number of the centers. Mr Kanyimbiri knocks off at 4:30 pm, tired but proud of having saved so many youths from contracting STIs.
—Lawrent Kumchenga |
