PALU, Central Sulawesi, 20 May 2019: A joint effort is being initiated to equip 8 community health centers (puskesmas) and 15 reproductive health posts in the Palu, Sigi and Donggala (known as Pasigala) districts with the capacity to provide youth friendly reproductive health services and referral care.

“Through these health facilities, youth can access youth friendly reproductive health services and information provided by trained healthworkers,” said Nur Arifina Vivinia UNFPA Youth in Emergencies Officer.

 “This is part of the transition to recovery phase to ensure continued programmes to promote youth rights and wellbeing in the post emergency and in longer term provincial development,” she added.

The plan, jointly conducted by the Ministry and Provincial Health Offices and UNFPA, will include linking these health facilities with the 8 Youth Friendly Spaces (YSF) and organizing a series of trainings for health workers at these health facilities and capacity building for the 16 peer educators at YFS.

Each of these health facilities will have the capacity to provide among others Adolescent Reproductive Health services, education and youth counseling, conducted in the facility and through outreach activities to neighboring schools to raise youth awareness on health & reproductive health, rights and to promote service utilization.

Part of the reasons for low health service utilization among youth include poor health awareness; and stigma and discrimination from community members and possibly from the health service providers, often attached to youth who are seen accessing health services.