Community activities organized by the “Ratanga Club Burkina Faso” network were officially launched on Thursday, January 7, 2021, in Ouagadougou. This network was established as part of the “C’est la vie” project led by the Senegalese NGO, RAES, aimed at promoting sexual and reproductive health, maternal and infant health, education, and combating gender-based violence. 

RAES, founded in 2004, serves as a creative incubator, developing innovative strategies for social and behavioral change in Africa. It also acts as a hub that brings together international partners, media, and civil society organizations operating in West Africa.

The flagship project of RAES, “C’est la vie,” is a comprehensive campaign across West Africa designed to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and influence behaviors related to sexual and reproductive health, maternal and infant health, and gender-based violence at individual, community, and societal levels.

Tools for education through entertainment…

“Initiated from Dakar, the ‘C’est la vie’ project is a continental media and digital campaign, as well as a community project deployed in nine countries in the sub-region (Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Benin, Chad, Guinea, Senegal). It invites civil society partners to discuss these key issues at the individual, community, and political levels,” stated Zoubiré B. Charles, the representative of the Technical Secretary in charge of accelerating demographic transition, during his opening speech.

He continued by expressing the belief that local actors are best positioned to lead community activities in information, education, and communication on sexual and reproductive health adapted to their contexts. The ‘C’est la vie’ project provides them with tools for education through entertainment and trains them in their usage through the Ratanga Club network.

“Active in four countries (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Senegal), the Ratanga Club network brings together and supports civil society organizations and dynamic youth networks to conduct community activities on the ground, sparking and sustaining debates among young people to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding sexual and reproductive health,” explained Monika Ouédraogo, the representative of the Ratanga Club Burkina Faso consortium.

Reassuring the Burkina Faso government and Ministry of Health

To achieve these objectives, each country in the ‘C’est la vie’ project should establish a Ratanga Club consortium integrated into the country committee. This committee is formed by several NGOs conducting community activities for young people and wishing to benefit from the ‘C’est la vie’ tools to enhance their impact. In this regard, the community activities of the Ratanga Club Burkina Faso were launched on January 7, 2021, in Ouagadougou.

“The goal of the Ratanga Club Burkina Faso consortium is to encourage the organizations within it to integrate the tools developed under the ‘C’est la vie’ project into their community activities, particularly the educational kit, by formalizing it in a roadmap designed in collaboration with the NGO RAES,” emphasized Ansoumane Niakasso, the Community Officer at RAES.

He reassured the Burkina Faso government and Ministry of Health that the Ratanga Club Burkina Faso is there to reinforce achievements through intense awareness campaigns, TV and radio broadcasts, and educational workshops for adolescents and youth.

Noufou KINDO – Burkina24