Dakar, 13 Jan. (APS) – Twenty-five (25) youth organisations working on reproductive health were trained to participate in the national advocacy to access information and reproductive health services, stated, on Friday, Ndéye Marième Ly Diagne, Programme Officer of Equipop, an NGO.
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Dakar, 13 Jan. (APS) – Twenty-five (25) youth organisations working on reproductive health were trained to participate in the national advocacy to access information and reproductive health services, stated, on Friday, Ndéye Marième Ly Diagne, Programme Officer of Equipop, an NGO.
We brought together several civil society actors, especially youth organisations focused on teen and youth reproductive health, to create a national advocacy strategy,’’she declared during the closing ceremony of the Incubator known as “Youth’s Voice at the Heart of the Advocacy for Reproductive Health Rights.
This six-day meeting took place in Dakar (9 to 13 January). It falls under the Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health project in Senegal (Sansas February 2021- February 2025) implemented by a group of organisations (SOLTHIS, ENDA, RAES, EQUIPOP, LARTES). It aims to increase access to reproductive rights and health for youths in Senegal especially youths generally, young women and vulnerable youths.
This training “aims to create a conducive environment for access to information and services relating to adolescent and youth reproductive health,” she declared, underscoring that advocacy is under way to request this access from officials.
According to the programme officer, “this is done through better management and deeper involvement of youths in decision-making bodies.”
In this light, Abdoulaye Ka, ‘Sansas ’ project coordinator, stated that the objective is to “improve access to reproductive health services for adolescents and youths.” ‘’However, we are focusing more on increasing the number of services and building capacities relating to youth knowledge and skills,’’ she pointed out.
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It is to promote a social environment conducive to the implementation of public health policies. This has allowed us to work on social change, youth capacities, and to identify the key areas for advocacy at the national level,” he added.
According to him, “a lot of efforts have been made.” However, there is work to be done in terms of accessibility and support for improving the environment in which healthcare providers operate at the community and public structure levels, Ka said.
“By the end of 2024, early 2025, we will assess whether access to services has improved and whether young people have enhanced their knowledge and skills,” he announced.
The ‘Sansas’ project is implemented in the three departments of the Sédhiou region and in the Mbour department.
SKS/ADL/OID
