The impact of the stop work order on service provision and the Youth Helpline, a serving hope.
Prior to the implementation of the stop work order, Msasa was a key service provider supporting adolescent girls and young women in Epworth with free antenatal care (ANC) services. These services played a critical role in ensuring early and consistent maternal health care for vulnerable young women, many of whom lack the financial resources or familial support to access such care independently. However, the enforcement of the stop work order had immediate and far-reaching consequences. As a direct result, Msasa lost the funding required to sustain these free ANC services, forcing the organization to halt its community-based support activities in Epworth. The impact of this disruption has been particularly severe for adolescent girls and young women who are either pregnant or at risk of pregnancy. In the past month alone, 11 adolescent girls from Epworth have been referred to the helpline seeking support for ANC services. Unfortunately, five of these young women have been unable to follow through with the referrals due to the prohibitive cost of connecting with service providers. With the shutdown of local services, clients are now forced to travel longer distances which are significant barriers in low-resource settings. The displacement of localized ANC services has created a critical gap in healthcare access. For many of these girls, Msasa had not only been a source of medical care, but also a trusted and confidential space where they felt supported. Without it, they now face an increased risk of delayed or missed antenatal care, which poses serious health risks to both the young mothers and their unborn children. This situation underscores how administrative and funding decisions, such as the stop work order, can have unintended but severe consequences on the health and well-being of marginalized populations. It highlights the urgent need for alternative support mechanisms to ensure that adolescent girls and young women in areas like Epworth are not left behind when critical services are disrupted.