When youth activist Shepherd Phiri experienced a painful discharge, the last place he wanted to visit was a clinic frequented by young people. Although he knew he needed medical attention, he preferred to go to a chemist to buy medicine and treat himself. Phiri feared going to the clinic because he is well known in his community and did not want to meet anyone he knew. He was also trying to avoid the ill-treatment that many youths allege they experience from service providers, as well as the fear of being recognised.

His ordeal began after he noticed the discharge for three days, which raised his suspicion that it could be a sexually transmitted infection (STI). He recalled an unprotected sexual encounter he described as a “hit and run,” a situation he admitted was quite common. Seeking guidance, he consulted a fellow youth activist who referred him to a young male nurse at Chongwe Clinic.

Phiri said he felt comfortable speaking to the nurse because he was young like him, understood his situation, and did not judge or condemn him. Instead, the nurse counselled him patiently until he felt at ease and his fears disappeared. Phiri was advised to undergo both STI and HIV tests, which came back negative for HIV but positive for an STI.

Relieved that he was not HIV positive, Phiri said he only needed treatment, after which he recovered. Despite getting well, the experience taught him valuable lessons and made him wiser. He now advises fellow youths to abstain and, if they find themselves in similar situations, to seek counselling from trained activists and visit youth-friendly corners at clinics, joking that they should not rely on advice from unqualified people who might mislead them.

BY NOMSA NKANA