Oral presentation
1. Background/Objectives
West Africa has a large number of sexually active youth, often debuting during adolescence, with limited means of protecting their sexuality. Access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information, including family planning (FP) is generally low as is use of SRH/FP services, possibly explaining high rates of unwanted pregnancies and sexual infections. The role young people play as leaders to tackle these issues is recognized, but not always invested in. We present results to date of the USAID/AmplifyPF project's "Young Champions in Reproductive Health and Family Planning Initiative" implemented in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, and Togo – to increase the leadership and visibility of youth
2. Materials and Methods
The initiative identifies, trains, and equips pairs of same-gender youth in living in environments where sexuality among youth is taboo. 118 Young Champions have been recruited to conduct activities using a two-pronged approach of interpersonal communication with outreach activities, use of digital communication technologies through social media and free FP consultations, counseling, screening and STI/HIV/AIDS care. Activities began in May 2021 and aims to reach 185,000 young people by May 2023.
3. Results
Between May 2021 and June 2022, the initiative has engendered 119 educational talks, 210 outreach sessions, 17 in-school lectures, 10 free RH/FP service offerings, 88 digital campaigns and reached 310,510 youth across the 4 countries.
4. Conclusions
This initiative was intentional in its inclusive approach to reaching traditionally underrepresented, underserved groups in health promotion and service delivery initiatives. It demonstrates that considering, investing in, and enabling youth and recognizing their place in spaces for dialogue and discussion creates a new dynamic that can challenge the status quo and deconstruct taboos, while empowering youth to speak for themselves on issues such as sexuality and the use of FP services.
