Article
Learning beyond the classroom
Currently, a mobile phone has become a popular gadget that surpasses age, geographical location, and status, with current data showing that there are more than 60 million mobile lines registered in a country, this paves the way for the O3 project to pursue more settings to reach young people with accurate, culturally tailored Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) information and education through mobile phone device.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Health's Health Education and Promotion Section, UNESCO supported training for Afya Call Centre agents to provide accurate sexual and reproductive health information. This initiative aims to help young people thrive during adolescence and youth era and contribute positively to their community and nation.
As he was thanking UNESCO for this collaboration Dr. Tumaini Haonga, Assistant Director for Health Promotion Section remarked:
We are committed to the health of both the Tanzanian community and the global community, understanding that any health issue in Tanzania can potentially affect other parts of the world
Participants were happy with the training testifying that this was long-awaited, Elizabeth, a call center agent said:
We had hoped for such comprehensive training because most of the callers to the center are youths. We are now pleased to be well-equipped to confidently address the sexual and reproductive health concerns of young people
Adding to the uniqueness of the initiative UNESCO NPO for Education for Health and Wellbeing programs Mr. Mathias Luhanya exclaimed,
We are pleased that this drive will benefit young people both in and out of school, as they will be able to access accurate SRH knowledge anytime, anywhere
This initiative is an extension of UNESCO's initial support, which focused on creating and incorporating youth oriented SRH educational messages into the Ministry of Health's toll-free number (199) system.
