Tikambe Youth Media was a joint project by BBC Media Action and Restless Development Zambia that used TV, radio, and online media to help young people look after their sexual health and improve their of their reproductive rights knowledge.
It is crucial to engage the ever-growing number of sexually active young people in conversations about sexual and reproductive health. However, finding someone to talk to about sex, or accessing a youth-friendly sexual health service provider in Zambia can prove difficult. This makes it hard for young people to prevent unplanned pregnancies or protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.
Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Tikambe Youth Media, ”Let’s talk” programme ran from 2014 to 2024 and focused on helping young people have a voice, gain life skills, and attain an understanding of their sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR).
The programme is opening my eyes. I am now able to walk into a hospital and collect free condoms.
Restless Development Youth Volunteer
Through the Tikambe Youth Media project, we were able to provide a platform for young girls and boys to access youth-friendly (SRHR) services and information, voice out their issues related to (SRHR) and empower them to demand accountability from decision makers. The project also enabled us to help young people lead conversations in relation to (SRHR), enabling them to pass on what they have learnt, creating a chain of education and opportunity and making them less vulnerable to sexual reproductive health risks.