-
Could you please introduce yourself?
I am Ms. KANDINE Fatima Tidjani, coordinator of the regional Demography and Sexual and Reproductive Health (DEMSAN) program at the West African Health Organization (WAHO). My role is to coordinate the implementation of this subcomponent, as well as all other components of the DEMSAN program. The overall objective of this program is to accelerate demographic transitions in French-speaking ECOWAS countries. More specifically, it aims to:
- strengthen the role and responsibilities of WAHO in steering and managing knowledge on population and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues,
- strengthen political advocacy for sexual and reproductive rights and health, and promote the emergence of civil society in these areas,
- Strengthen the capacity of ECOWAS member states to develop and implement policies and strategies promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights.
2. Why is FONDEMSAN important for WAHO?
As you know, the West African Health Organization (WAHO) is the specialized health institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In its role of providing the highest level of health care to the population of the sub-region, it has given priority to reproductive health as part of promoting the health of mothers, newborns, children, adolescents, and young people in the ECOWAS region. This is in order to contribute to the reduction of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, the reduction of child and adolescent morbidity and mortality, and the promotion of adolescent and youth health. To this end, WAHO—with the support of its partners—has set up FONDEMSAN to promote reproductive health by exploring several angles of intervention designed to boost demand for and use of health services. The aim of this fund is to foster the emergence of a dynamic civil society capable of bringing about change in favor of sexual and reproductive rights and health in the ECOWAS region. The fund aims to support civil society initiatives for social and political mobilization that have a significant impact on improving the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people in the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). WAHO relies on CSOs, which is why they have been chosen to help countries reach the population right down to the last kilometer.
3. Halfway through, what initial lessons have you learned from implementing Fondemsan, and how do you see the future unfolding?
We believe that at this stage of implementation, the lessons we are learning are very positive. I would like to highlight the advantage of bringing CSOs together in a consortium. This working dynamic clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration between them, each with a unique and different profile, enabling sharing and mutual learning. We also note a continuous improvement in the administrative and financial capacity of CSOs as we receive their progress reports. During our supervision visits, we have already observed the strong commitment of local authorities and communities. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Equipop, the FONDEMSAN implementing agency delegated by OOAS, for its support.
