Al-Quds University, August 27th 2019 – Two youth friendly centers for young Palestinians have been established and are currently working at Al-Azhar University in Gaza and at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, thanks to the project “Strengthening Reproductive Health and Rights for Palestinian Youth” funded by the Italian Cooperation and implemented by UNFPA.
Since the end of 2018, hundreds of students in Gaza and Abu Dis collected information through awareness campaigns and social activities about risks, dangers and real situation related to sensitive issues they take in high consideration: social norms and their influence on young people, sexual education and knowledge about human reproductive system, sexually transmitted diseases, early marriages – a bunch of issues proving their urgency and showing a low quality of the youth awareness in Palestine. Counselling, psyco-social and health-care services are fully provided at the two centers, and at the Hebron University where an additional space will be established soon, allowing students to meet professional personnel, able to clarify any doubt and support the dissemination of sensitive and useful information.
PMRS – Palestinian Medical Relief Society delivered another project activity in these weeks, in order to train young educators and to promote alternative method for information’s dissemination in the Palestinian Universities. Youth Peer Education Network, promoted by UNFPA in several countries, allows 50 active students from Hebron, Abu Dis and Bethlehem Universities to share with their friends practices and information collected during a three days intense workshop about sexual and reproductive health rights, in order to enlarge the number of the project’s final beneficiaries and the centers’ activities.
