Cheick Bounama Coulibaly | October 2, 2022
News Brief
It’s the middle of the weekend in Kalanban-Coro, a town about 20 km from Bamako, the capital of Mali. Young people are gathered at local hangouts to have tea and chat. As usual, Bernard Thera, a 36-year-old former footballer, is among them to raise awareness about how to prevent sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, and share his story. He explains: "I used to go out with a lot of girls and I didn't protect myself [during sex]. That's when I got sick with gonorrhoea. My penis began to hurt terribly, especially when urinating.” Gonorrhoea is caused by bacteria that can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected person, whether or not they have symptoms. This STI can be transmitted through all types of sexual contact, including oral sex. Mr. Thera is now committed to helping youth in Mali prevent STIs in their own lives, and encouraging them to seek treatment and testing without fear of being shamed.
It’s the middle of the weekend in Kalanban-Coro, a town about 20 km from Bamako, the capital of Mali. The rain that started around noon has finally stopped, and the sun is shining through low clouds. It’s a time when young people gather at local hangouts to have tea and chat.
Bernard Thera, a 36-year-old former footballer, is among them. He is often here on weekends, raising awareness about how to prevent sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, and sharing his story.
He explains: “I used to go out with a lot of girls and I didn’t protect myself [during sex]. That’s when I got sick with gonorrhoea. My penis began to hurt terribly, especially when urinating. In the morning, my trousers would be all wet with liquid coming out of my penis and my lower abdomen hurt. I was ashamed to tell anyone or to go to the hospital to see a doctor. I was paying for illegal street drugs, but these had no effect on my illness.”
After a long period of suffering, Mr. Thera finally went to see a sexual health advisor at Marie Stopes International. This organization is the largest community of specialists in family planning, STI screening, and treatment in Mali, and offers personalized, high-quality, affordable, and confidential services. The advisor referred Mr. Thera to a clinic for testing and treatment.
Emile Sidibé is the sexual health advisor from Marie Stopes Mali who met with Mr. Thera that day. He explains, “When we met Bernard, he was in great pain and didn’t know what to do. Society’s prejudices made him afraid of telling anyone about his infection.”
Mr. Sidibé explains that gonorrhoea is caused by bacteria that can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected person, whether or not they have symptoms. He says that gonorrhoea can be transmitted through all types of sexual contact, including oral sex.
Mr. Thera is now committed to helping youth in Mali prevent STIs in their own lives, and encourages them to seek treatment and testing without shame. On weekends like these, Mr. Thera works with an agent from Marie Stopes to teach youth about STIs, encourage them to use protection such as condoms during sex, get tested regularly, and have sexual relations with only one partner.
He also talks to youth about the common symptoms of gonorrhoea, which include burning sensations while urinating, frequent urges to urinate, difficulty urinating, or bloody urine. He says these are all signs that they should visit a health worker for testing and treatment—and quickly.
In some severe cases, untreated gonorrhoea can lead to infertility in men and women. In men, untreated gonorrhoea can cause inflammation of the prostate and eventually lead to infertility.
Mr. Thera fears he waited too long to seek treatment and that, as a result, he may not be able to have children.
Now Mr. Thera encourages youth to leave behind their shame and talk to health care workers about their sexual health. He says that most STIs can be treated with an early diagnosis.
Even better, he says that regular health checks and STI tests can help both men and women prevent STIs, or identify them at an early stage, even before symptoms appear.
Mr. Sidibé applauds Mr. Thera’s mission. He says that information sessions and awareness activities like this can improve people’s ability to recognize the symptoms of STIs, increase people’s likelihood of seeking treatment, and help them encourage their sexual partners to do the same.
Unfortunately, public ignorance, lack of training for health workers, and widespread stigma around sexual health continue to prevent early identification and treatment of STIs.
But Mr. Thera won’t give up. He says, “Health is the pillar of life. To forget our health threatens our survival.”
This resource was produced through the “HÉRÈ – Women’s Well-Being in Mali” initiative, which aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health well-being of women and girls and to strengthen the prevention of and response to gender-based violence in Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, and the district of Bamako in Mali. The project is implemented by the HÉRÈ – MSI Mali Consortium, in partnership with Farm Radio International (RRI) and Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) with funding from Global Affairs Canada.
Photo: Bernard Thera raising youth awareness about STIs. Credit: Cheick Coulibaly.