Befree Care clinic recently provided sexual and reproductive health services, including HIV testing, family planning and sexually transmitted infection (STI) support, to 949 university students across five universities in the Oshana region.
The outreach was attended by young people between the ages of 20 and 29 from the University of Namibia (Unam) Oshakati campus, the Hifikepunye Pohamba campus and the Jose Eduardo Dos Santos campus, as well as the International University of Management (IUM) Ongwediva campus and the Valombola Vocational Training Centre (VTC).
This marks the third outreach the clinic has hosted, following previous events held in the Khomas, Erongo and Kavango East regions.
The initiative aims to help reduce unplanned teenage pregnancies and amplify students’ awareness of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues, family planning and gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, as well as enhance their social behaviour change communication.
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The outreach, which took place from 18 to 22 August, was hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ongwediva MediPark Hospital, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Unam, IUM, Valombola VTC and the Society for Family Health.
During the initiative, 4.4% of STI infections were recorded, highlighting the inconsistent use of condoms and continued risk of STIs, HIV infection and unplanned pregnancies.
No positive cases of HIV were recorded, indicating a demand for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), according to spokesperson Ileni Hitula.
HIV testing and counselling were the most required services, followed by family planning. Oral contraceptive pills were the most requested, among contraceptives, with over 6 000 condoms distributed.
“We observed that knowledge and uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptive options were limited. Local healthcare workers noted challenges in implant insertion, with many clients coming from the broader community due to long waiting lists at facilities close to them,” Hitula says.
She says an understanding of GBV is still limited in terms of the availability of screening and intervention mechanisms, and some students refused to engage in counselling services, pointing to the need for greater awareness and trust building around mental health services.
The clinic had its two-year anniversary on Monday, celebrating years of impacting lives and providing healthcare services, education, and empowerment to young people.
