SOS Children`s Villages has reiterated on the need for authorities in the country to work closely with young people to reach out to their needs in their respective communities.
The appeal was made in Traditional Authority Chadza ijn Lilongwe during a Youth Parliamentary session being championed by SOS Children`s Villages.
In an interview with YFM Online, Speaker of the Youth House, Lonjezo Palikena said the deliberations will assist the young people in coming up with effective solutions to their challenges by sharing their experiences on issues that affect their day-to-day lives.
“I hope this programme will be like a platform between us [youth parliamentarians] and other youth who are in their communities to get some assistance through these programmes,” he said.
On his part, Field Officer at SOS Children`s Villages Aaron Ntakati said their organisation thought of coming with the initiative with an aim of providing an opportunity for young people to voice out their views.
“We wanted to give the youth an opportunity for them to voice out their issues which affect their daily lives, that is socially, politically as well as economically in order to actively take part in the policy formulation and legislative process of the country,” emphasized Ntakati.
District Youth Officer for Lilongwe Rural Joseph Manthalu expressed optimism that youth related issues discussed in the house will help in empowering communities where the young people are coming from.
“This will not just end here, it will still go into the communities and those MPs who are meeting they will take up this issue because they will know that the youth have spoken and they will take that issue up and help the youth with their problems,” said Manthalu.
During the sitting, young people deliberated on issues ranging from health, education, development to Sexual Reproductive Health.
The youth parliament, which saw participation of young people from 10 youth clubs from Traditional Authority (T/A) Chadza, draw together 100 youth representatives in the chamber.
