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How Wezzie is inspiring her students to make healthy choices in school and life in Malawi

Wezzie teaches biology and life skills at Lupaso community secondary school. Life skills education, also called comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in other countries, is her favourite subject and one she has been teaching for 18 years. “At a time where young people get most of their information online or among peers, CSE helps them get appropriate information about health and sexuality, and demystify adolescence”, says Wezzie.

Increasingly, learners in Wezzie’s school dropout due to early and unintended pregnancy, early marriage, and drug and substance abuse. Learning about health and well-being is vital for her students. “About 20% of learners come from child-headed families, 40% stay with single parents and 30% with grandparents or other relatives. The majority of learners lack basic skills for survival, and some only afford a meal per day”, says Wezzie.

She also knows how important CSE can be for youth because of her personal story. Wezzie became pregnant as a young woman. She attributes this to her lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health services.

“The hardships, stress and burdens I encountered during and after pregnancy were unbearable”, she recalls. “I started sharing my experience with girls in youth clubs. Since then, my mission has been to support young people to understand their sexuality and make healthy choices to live a happy life.”