Central Province Adolescent Health Indaba | Convened by the Ministry of Health with TYP360

Adolescents make up more than 35% of Zambia's population yet too often, the health services and policies meant to serve them are designed without their input. The Central Province Adolescent Health Indaba set out to change that, convened by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Youth Platform 360 under the theme "Ascertaining the Role of Young People in Enhancing Prevention, Ending Epidemics." Among the adolescents and young people in attendance were 11 delegates from Space to Lead facilities, reflecting the growing role youth-centered platforms are playing in shaping the national adolescent health agenda.

Rather than another top-down consultation, the Indaba was designed as a space where young people could speak candidly about the barriers they face and shape the solutions themselves. Delegates raised concerns spanning information gaps on contraception, STIs, and HIV prevention, particularly in rural communities; rising teen pregnancy in districts like Kapiri Mposhi pushing girls out of school; stigma discouraging young people from seeking HIV and STI testing; and a strong call for confidential, non-judgmental youth-friendly services in both communities and schools.

Delegates also flagged underfunding of adolescent health programmes, the exclusion of adolescents with disabilities from facilities lacking sign language interpreters or braille materials, growing concern over substance abuse among school-going and street-connected youth, and the absence of one-stop centres offering coordinated medical, psychosocial, and legal support for survivors of gender-based violence and early marriage. Limited recreational spaces and poor awareness of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) opportunities rounded out a wide-ranging set of concerns, alongside weak coordination between the Ministries of Health and Education on adolescent SRHR in schools.

Young people not just consulted, but positioned as co-authors of the policies that affect them.

The Indaba didn't stop at naming problems. Delegates put forward clear recommendations: the Ministry of Education should expand Life Skills and Health Education and strengthen ties with the health sector and Drug Enforcement Commission; the Ministry of Health should scale up youth-friendly SRH services, involve young people directly in planning, and build health workers' capacity in disability-inclusive care; the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts should invest in recreational facilities, including in districts like Serenje, and improve youth access to CDF opportunities; and the Drug Enforcement Commission should tighten enforcement against sale of harmful substances to minors while expanding rehabilitation programmes.

The participation of 11 AYP from Space to Lead facilities was strong at this Indaba as it is a signal of what meaningful youth engagement can look like in practice. As the Indaba concluded, one message rang clear: investing in adolescent health is investing in Zambia's future.