UNFPA through its flagship youth programme called “Safeguard Young People” (SYP) is aiming at improving the sexual and reproductive health status of youth in Lesotho through ensuring conducive legal and policy environment including engagement and participation of youth, knowledge and skills development and supporting delivery of adolescent and youth friendly health services.
It is within this scope that a Comprehensive Sexuality Education package has been adopted in Lesotho through key line ministries; Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation, Ministry of Education and Training and Ministry of Health. This package includes a training manual for youth out of school and a mobi-site called tune me.
Tune me was launched in September 2017 in Lesotho. It is intended to reach, both in and out of school, young people with sexual and reproductive health information in order for them to be able to protect themselves from HIV transmission, early and unintended pregnancies, and to prevent harmful practices such as child marriage. The platform is accessed through the internet and on a free basis allowing young people to access it without the limitations of data.
A large majority of young people who have a mobile device also have Facebook, with 86% of all internet users in Lesotho going online for social media. This provides a huge opportunity to link adolescents and young people to the mobi-site. Tune me’s goal is to empower local youth groups to take ownership of the content, learn to run its mobi-site and Facebook platform, and use them as advocacy tools in campaign activities.
The mobi-site has already been launched and is operational in other Southern African countries such as Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and recently eSwatini. It covers subjects as diverse as menstruation and gender-based violence. Adapted from a global standard in sexuality education content, the stories are tailored and translated for local audiences to ensure relevance and improve engagement.
Tune me has a number of categories that includes tips on relationships, sex, knowing one’s body and offers a chance for other youth to share their stories to bring a positive impact in their peers’ lives. To access Tune me, visit http://ls.tuneme.org/. Also like Tune Me on Facebook here!