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Transitions
Volume 14, No. 3,
April 2002
This Transitions is
also available in [PDF] format.
Community
Participation to Promote Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health
in Burkina Faso: A Template for Program Development
By Nicole Cheetham, MHS, Deputy
Director, International Division, Advocates for Youth
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Village
committees, comprised predominantly of youth, used
village assemblies, interviews, role-plays, and
folk media to assess adolescent reproductive and
sexual health. Youth and adults identified a range
of adolescent reproductive health priorities. |
In March 1998, Advocates
for Youth and the Pacific
Institute for Women's Health initiated a four-year project in Burkina
Faso to assist rural communities in Kompienga, Boulgu, and Sissili
provinces in identifying priorities and designing and implementing
strategies related to adolescent reproductive and sexual health. The
project also builds capacity among partners in Burkina Faso, including
lead partner Mwangaza Action and local youth-serving organizations
(YSOs) Association pour le Développement de la Région
de Bittou, Le Reseau des Jeunes de la Sissili et du Ziro,
and L'Association des Jeunes pour le Développement de Pama.*
Phase I: Identifying Priority Issues—Based
on approaches developed by Save
the Children and the National
Cooperative Business Association, and with assistance from Advocates and
Mwangaza, the YSOs developed a methodology to mobilize their communities—including
youth—regarding adolescent reproductive and sexual health. Village committees,
comprised predominantly of youth, used village assemblies, role-plays, interviews,
and folk media to assess adolescent reproductive and sexual health. Committee
members interviewed 547 youth ages 11 to 21, 405 parents, and 51 service providers.
Youth and adults in the communities identified priorities, including HIV and
STIs, contraceptive knowledge and use, female genital mutilation, parent-child
communication about sexuality, and adolescents' use of health care services.
Phase II: Identifying
Community-Based Interventions to Address Priority Issues—Using
the same methodology, Advocates and Mwangaza trained the YSOs' staff on working
with their communities to identify strategies to address priority
issues. Selected strategies included peer education; use of folk and modern
media; information, education, and communication (IEC); peer education home
visits regarding parent-child communication; and workshops for health care
providers on making services friendly to youth.
Phase
III: Preparing for Community-Based Interventions—Advocates
and Mwangaza trained in each community regarding its selected interventions.
The YSOs and village committees then implemented the strategies,
with ongoing technical assistance and support from Mwangaza.
Phase
IV: Implementing Community-Based Interventions—The
YSOs, in collaboration with the village committees, support, implement,
and manage the community-based interventions. Currently, about
50 peer educators—25 young women and 25 young men—reach
approximately 750 youth per month through group talks, counseling
sessions, and home visits. In addition, the YSOs support the peer
educators in activities that include theater, role-plays, and video
presentations. Advocates, Mwangaza, and the YSOs train health center
personnel in providing youth-friendly services.
Phase
V: Final Evaluation—Towards
the end of the project, the Pacific Institute for Women's Health
will conduct surveys and collect additional data to assess levels
of community participation, changes in capacity among local partners,
and changes in adolescents' reproductive and sexual health knowledge
and behavior.
Conclusion
Although
evaluation is not complete, project partners agree that
community participation and youth involvement have been
valuable and effective in addressing adolescent sexual
and reproductive health in these rural, highly traditional
communities. Community youth, in partnership with adults,
successfully mobilize to address unwanted pregnancy, HIV/STI,
female genital mutilation, barriers to reproductive health
services, and lack of parent-child communication. In addition,
local administrative and religious authorities, involved
from the beginning, provide sustained and impressive support.
* Advocates
for Youth provides Mwangaza and the YSOs with technical assistance
on program development and implementation while the Pacific
Institute is responsible for ongoing evaluation.
Transitions (ISSN 1097-1254) © 2002, is a quarterly publication of Advocates for Youth—Helping young people make safe and responsible decisions about sex. For permission to reprint, contact Transitions' editor at 202.419.3420.
Editor: Sue Alford
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