Technology takes centre stage in promoting sexual and reproductive health

Daniel Chigunwe

Herald Correspondent

Mwenezi District’s youth-led organisation, the Development Agenda for Girls and Women in Africa Network (DAWA) is judiciously exploiting digital platforms to promoting sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young women in that community.

DAWA is one of the few organisations that is working towards the provision of support and safe spaces for adolescent girls and young women in Mwenezi.

In their recent reflections on their 2024 programmes, DAWA said they launched a mobile app called “Girls Health Corner” and availed smartphones to community advocacy leaders to bridge the information gap.

“Our activities in 2024 included training sessions for young women and adolescent girls. They need to be able to challenge existing inequalities, including economic, gender, legal, and social inequalities. These are injustices that fuel gender-based violence in Mwenezi,” said Tendai Kunyelesa, DAWA’s programmes and advocacy coordinator.

“In many rural communities, young women and girls face significant barriers in accessing vital information related to sexual and reproductive health. Poor network coverage hinder their ability to rely on traditional online resources, thus perpetuating gaps in knowledge and support.

“Our mobile application is designed to bridge this gap by providing offline access to essential sexual and reproductive health information and resources,” said Kunyelesa

“We have worked with various social media influencers, including Mbuya vaPiyason and Brother Puro to amplify our messages through edutainment.”

Mwenezi district information officer (DIO) Mr Rodnoy Kudzanai Ndoro commended various stakeholders’ collaborative efforts in promoting socio-economic development among rural folks through technology.

“Through education, advocacy, and access to essential resources, DAWA is making significant strides towards achieving its goals and creating a future where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive free from the threat of HIV/AIDS.

“The organisation has also collaborated with the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services to actively participate in using digital platforms and e-commerce to assist the community in selling their products and services online,” said Mr Ndoro.