Empowering community health workers in Malawi to deliver gender responsive life skills training for adolescent mothers to overcome social exclusion

Emmanuel O. Otukpa, Witness O. T. Alfonso, Anthony I. Ajayi, Caroline W. Kabiru, Cynthia W. Kairu, Beatrice W. Maina, Michelle N. Mbuthia, Alister Munthali, Ramatou Ouedraogo

Abstract

The social exclusion of adolescent mothers has negative repercussions for them, their children, and their families. Community health workers (CHWs) are well-placed to address the social exclusion of adolescent mothers if they are adequately trained and supported. This paper examines CHWs’ perspectives about an intervention designed to strengthen their capacity to deliver gender-responsive life skills training to adolescent mothers. We drew on information obtained from focus group discussions with 14 CHWs who facilitated life skills sessions for adolescent mothers in Blantyre in southern Malawi. Prior to the sessions, the CHWs participated in a values clarification and attitudes transformation and a training of trainers workshops on life skills training. The CHWs posited that gender responsive life skills training enabled them to shift from judgmental views of adolescent mothers to greater acceptance and openness to support them. The study underscores the benefit of interventions that enable CHWs to provide gender-responsive support to adolescent mothers.

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