18 Jul 2024

Drug and substance abuse among students and young people in Southern Africa is a serious concern as they have negative effects on their lives, University of Botswana, Professor Richard Tabulawa says.

Speaking at the Research Indaba session of the Fifth edition of the Southern African Regional Students and Youth Consortium on Sexual Reproductive Health (SARSYC) in Gaborone on Wednesday, he said drug and substance abuse impacted youth lives’ physical and mental wellness, educational prospects and social wellbeing.

Also, Prof. Tabulawa said HIV and TB continued to impact young people’s health and wellbeing.

He further said non-communicable diseases were increasingly affecting the quality of life for young people, therefore, said the conference provided them with a platform for dialogue, dissemination and reflection.

He said there were also disruptions in education due to climate change and humanitarian crisis.

On SARSYC, he said diverse cultures at the organisation would enrich youth collective knowledge, foster understanding empathy and unity.

The Professor said together they could learn, connect and promote students and youth access to human rights services and commodities across Africa.

He said they would discuss the outcome of their programmes, explore diverse perspectives and forge partnerships to advance universal health coverage and education rights for students and young people.

Zimbabwe national coordinating committee chairperson, Ms Miah Tsinakwadi said SARSYC was a dynamic space where ideas met and dreams ignited, adding that the conference would empower young visionaries with tools to advance sustainable development and shape a better world for all.

She said the objective of the fifth edition of the SARSYC was to promote youth participation in addressing the impacts of climate change and other emerging issues on health, education and the wellbeing of young people in Southern Africa.

She also said the conference provided them with the platform to delve into topics such as drug and substance abuse, mental health and potential rehabilitation.

She further said the platform taught them to leverage emerging technologies through the lined up of thought provoking panel discussions.

Ms Tsinakwadi said it would also help them to interrogate the role young people had on campus and communities, share insights and best practices; amplifying their collective wisdom and ability to create innovative solutions.

She said they were to foster synergy between health and education sectors in addressing the needs of the young.

She said their collective efforts in the two domains could significantly impact the wellbeing and prospects of young individuals.

She further said health and education were not isolated, but interconnected facets of a young person’s growth and showed that persons supported in those environments performed better academically.

Ms Tsinakwadi said more educated persons tended to become healthier adults through the two sectors.

 The conference is held under the theme; Building Bridges, Navigating Emerging Issues, Advancing Equitable Access to Public Health and Education. ENDS