Sports day at the University of Zambia (UNZA) featured a variety of activities, from aerobics and rugby to weightlifting and sprinting. However, some students engaged in a different kind of race to the UNZA clinic in search of “protection” for bedroom-related activities.
A large number of students flocked to the clinic, demanding condoms, but they all received the same response, there were none.
This led some to embark on another race to the nearest Kalinga-Linga township, as if they were stone-age men clad in animal skins, rushing on a hunting and fishing mission after sleeping on an empty stomach.
Frustrated and angry, some students visited the Lusaka Star desk at UNZA’s Goma Fields, expressing their grievances like children denied their mother’s breast for feeding.
Abu Kampamba, a fourth-year Computer Science student, said the scarcity of condoms at the institution poses a serious risk to students, as it increases the chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
“This issue needs serious attention because it’s very difficult for students to abstain from sexual activity, and condoms have not been there since last semester,” he said.
He added that some students resort to using morning-after pills to prevent pregnancy, even though this does not mitigate the risk of contracting STIs and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Another student, Kudakwashe, said it is unsafe to place students in an environment where condoms are not readily available.
“People are preventing STIs by using condoms,” he said.
A staff member at the UNZA clinic, who wished to remain anonymous, said the items were simply “out of stock.”