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Fondemsan Benin – Young people aged 15-24 take center stage

  • News, West Africa
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<<Les défis rencontrés au cours de la mise en œuvre du projet sont liés à la réticence de certains leaders religieux qui n’ont pas encore compris que les jeunes ont des droits en matière de santé sexuelle et devraient décider eux-mêmes de leur avenir en matière de sexualité […] les fidèles écoutent les leaders religieux quand ils leur donnent des conseils>> Pulcherie ACHADE nous explique les difficultés rencontrées dans la mise en oeuvre du projet au Bénin.  
  1. Could you describe what makes the project you are implementing with FONDEMSAN grant funding innovative?
  “MIITCHITE” is a social and political mobilization project that aims to contribute to the creation of an environment in Benin that is conducive to removing barriers to young people's access to quality contraception that is tailored to their needs. What makes this project unique is that young people aged 15 to 24 are at the forefront, speaking out and demanding their rights in terms of sexual and reproductive health. They are supported by religious leaders who are committed to and trained in a human rights-based approach. These young people have spoken out in their communities, workshops, schools, and markets after receiving training on SRHR issues.   They appealed to politicians (mayors, prefects, members of the departmental administrative conference, health workers, religious leaders, opinion leaders, etc.) for financial support to continue promoting the activities of the MIITCHITE project so as not to halt the process that has been started to create an environment conducive to SRHR. Today, adolescents and young people in the ADD health zone are saying NO to harmful practices and socio-cultural and religious influences that do not promote young people's access to their rights.  

  1. What challenges did you encounter and what advice would you give to CSOs who would like to develop the same type of project?

  The challenges encountered during the implementation of the MIITCHITE project are linked to the reluctance of certain religious leaders who have not yet understood that young people have rights in terms of sexual health and should decide for themselves about their future in terms of sexuality.   It must be acknowledged that in the three municipalities of the ADD zone, only 27 religious leaders were involved in the project. And they did not have enough activities to really impact the current MITCHITE project. Therefore, as advice to CSOs and for another phase, it will be necessary to involve many more committed religious leaders with many activities to enable them to talk about SRHR during sermons and also to accompany adolescents and young people in awareness-raising and animation activities in SRHR spaces. This is because the faithful listen to religious leaders when they give them advice. Also, the number of young people trained was not sufficient to truly cover all areas of the three municipalities. Therefore, their number must be increased.  

  1. How has Equipop's support system helped you change your practices? 

  EQUIPOP's support was very important for the implementation of this project, both technically and financially. We benefited from support for:
  • monthly meetings to monitor the implementation of MIITCHITE project activities, 
  • drafting technical reports; 
  • monitoring the provision of resources by WAHO for the implementation of activities; 
  • the training of religious leaders; 
  • correction of financial reports and filing; 
  • the availability of the Equipop team and the resolution of difficulties in implementation in general.

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