Situated in the Omuthiya Primary Health Care Clinic, the Youth Clinic provides a safe and supportive space for adolescents between the ages of 10 and 24 as well as medical and psychological services.
This comes at a time when adolescents, mostly school-going girls, continue to face stigma when seeking family planning services.
The senior registered nurse at the clinic, Index Nghilalulwa, says the clinic is working to break down barriers and encourage youth to access essential health care without fear or judgement.
"When adults see the younger ones in a queue, the youth can experience being called names or labelling the younger patients; this may also include mocking from fellow peers or schoolmates."
The adolescent clinic offers services such as screening for sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and pregnancy testing, as well as access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
The clinic also provides family planning, counselling, health education, gender-based violence information, and referrals for psychosocial support when necessary.
Nghilalulwa further highlights the importance of family planning among teenagers in preventing early and unplanned pregnancies that could disrupt their education.
"Parents must open up to adolescent girls to seek family planning at any primary health care clinic. We have a good turnout who come and seek medical care."
Cases of teenage pregnancies and baby dumping continue to rise annually; however, the root causes behind these challenges are frequently overlooked.
Many young women are highly likely to abandon their studies when they fall pregnant.
Clinical psychologist Shaun Whittaker says society often treats teenage pregnancy as a girl problem due to gender norms and patriarchal culture.
"Teenage pregnancy is a gender justice issue, and it reveals the tremendous patriarchal inequality out there and the social double standards; boys must be brought to the centre of the conversation about teenage pregnancies, not be left at the margin."
The Youth Friendly Clinic was established under the Project Hope initiative and is now operating under the Ministry of Health and Social Services.