Soro Yafolo Sita | January 23, 2024
News Brief
San Pédro is a city in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire, more than 300 kilometres from Abidjan, the country’s capital. A senior student named Karidja Soumahoro leads the San Pédro Youth Advisory Committee. With support from NGOs like "Charité et vie" and "Magic," the committee conducts information sessions about sexual and reproductive health on weekends and school breaks, using technology to reach young people. The sessions focus on safer sexual practices, hygienic menstruation, and the importance of visiting health centres. Lidwine Tié is the supervisor for the association for family well-being. She highlights the cultural barriers that hinder communication and shares worrying statistics on unwanted pregnancies. Despite these challenges, Miss Soumahoro notes the positive impact of their efforts, which include increased inquiries from young people seeking information on sexual and reproductive health.
It’s the weekend, and schools are closed in San Pédro , a city in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, over 300 kilometres from Abidjan, the country’s capital. Senior student Karidja Soumahoro stands before her schoolmates in the courtyard of the Seweké neighbourhood’s school health centre. The girls and boys around her attentively follow her gestures. In one hand, she holds a pack of condoms, and in the other, a pack of contraceptive pills.
Miss Soumahoro is the president of the San Pédro Youth Advisory Committee. She explains: “Through these meetings, we provide accurate information about sexual and reproductive health to our peers. This helps combat sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, and stereotypes related to menstruation.”
he San Pédro Youth Advisory Committee has 10 members, and receives support from non-governmental organizations such as “Charité et vie” and “Magic” in their efforts to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health. Awareness events usually take place on weekends, during school breaks, or during long vacations. Miss Soumahoro explains the committee’s main activities: “To mobilize young people, we use information technologies. We make phone calls or send messages on social networks and in various messaging groups.”
TTheir messages generally focus on methods of protection during sexual intercourse, hygienic use of sanitary towels during menstruation, and the importance of visiting health centres. Miss Soumahoro says: “During our initiatives, we invite a healthcare professional to provide advice on the type of contraceptives suitable for your body and age or demonstrate the use of condoms and sanitary napkins. We also distribute flyers or promotional items with carefully prepared messages on sexual and reproductive health in schools or health centres.”
Lidwine Tié is the supervisor for the association for family well-being for the San Pédro area. She says that sexual and reproductive health is a complete state of well-being—physical, mental, and social, concerning all aspects of the reproductive system. She believes that taboos related to religion and customs hinder communication between parents and youth and youth access to information about sexual and reproductive health. Mrs. Tié supports her statements with statistics from the National Human Rights Council. The Nawa region, which includes the city of San Pédro, had 374 cases of unwanted pregnancies between 2021 and 2022. From September 2022 to April 2023, the number of pregnancies in schools increased by 5% in San Pedro.
Mariam Ouattara is 17 years old and has attended many awareness sessions, which have provided her with good information on how to manage menstruation hygienically. She says: “I have never had a conversation with my parents about menstruation because we do not discuss sexuality at home. When I had my first period at 14, I was confused and did not know how to handle it. I felt ashamed, and I didn’t know it was a natural occurrence.” During awareness sessions, Miss Ouattara received valuable information from a midwife invited by the committee.
Assoua Kouadio Tanoh is the regional director of youth in San Pédro. He says the reluctance of young people to visit health centres is linked to cultural and traditional barriers. Mr. Tanoh explains: “In the Akan culture, for example, we cannot talk about sexual health to young people before the age of 21 years old. Yet, it is essential to do so before this period. Additionally, there is illiteracy.” He says that today young people are exposed to sexuality early through the internet and social media and that, therefore, it is crucial to provide them with accurate information.
Miss Soumahoro says the committee’s awareness campaigns are having a positive impact and changing young people’s mindsets. She adds, “More and more, they come to us to ask for information about sexual and reproductive health.”
This resource was produced with funding from the PASSERELLE project, which is implemented in partnership with WUSC thanks to funding from Global Affairs Canada.