For 15 months, Equipop and JED (a Senegalese organization specializing in community development, popular education, and transformative approaches) supported young leaders from the Sansas project in implementing advocacy plans. Aimed at local (municipal and departmental councils) and national (ministries, parliamentarians) decision-makers and elected officials, these advocacy efforts focus on topics selected at the end of incubation labs conducted at the national and district levels.
From incubation labs to advocacy plans
In 2022 and 2023, "incubation labs" were organized in each of the Sansas project's areas of intervention (Goudomp, Bounkiling, Sédhiou, Mbour, and nationally in Dakar). Young leaders, political and religious authorities, and various key partners participated. The objective? To establish an inter-community and intergenerational diagnosis of gender inequalities and ASRH (adolescent and young people's reproductive health and rights). These Labs sparked numerous discussions. This was particularly thanks to the participatory development of a diagnosis of the situation, which enabled participants to collectively define priorities and action plans to improve the health of adolescents and young people. To strengthen young leaders' advocacy skills and prepare for activities, a session on this topic was held during the Sansas summer camp with 70 young leaders. More in-depth preparatory workshops were held in Sédhiou and Mbour at the end of October 2023 with the NGO RAES and the organization JED. The discussions provided several opportunities for collective reflection: how can political mobilization be activated? What stance should be taken when addressing political or religious authorities? How can a sense of collective purpose be maintained among young leaders? The young leaders are now ready to take action![vc_gallery type= »image_grid » images= »35133,35134,35135,35123″ img_size= »medium » onclick= » » column_number= »2″]
Towards democracy in health at the national level: integrating youth CSOs into decision-making bodies
The national advocacy campaign aims to improve public policies relating to SRHR in Senegal. This improvement involves integrating youth civil society organizations (CSOs) into the national decision-making bodies of the Ministry of Health that deal with reproductive health and gender equality. This advocacy is therefore part of a broader dynamic of "health democracy," enabling young people to be stakeholders in debates and decisions concerning their own health on an equal footing with other relevant actors: elected officials and national and local civil servants, and health workers. To implement this national advocacy campaign, Equipop will be supported by several Senegalese organizations, including JED, which coordinates the rollout of advocacy campaigns; YouthWomenforAction (YWA), a feminist organization that promotes the empowerment and participation of young girls in development; and Action4change, which works to integrate young people, particularly young girls, into decision-making bodies.An action plan to support empowerment and equip CSOs
In concrete terms, this involves, among other things: – Getting the director of the DSME (Directorate of Maternal and Child Health) to sign an official note integrating five youth CSOs into the SRMNIA (maternal, neonatal, infant, adolescent reproductive health, and nutrition) steering committee. – Capitalizing on inspiring practices in health democracy and accountability in the sub-region and in Senegal in particular. Supporting the empowerment of youth CSOs is part of a process of individual and collective emancipation that is part of a political approach. The goal? To enable young people to take up positions of power in order to create more egalitarian societies. Collective actions to mobilize young people socially and politically at the national level will accompany this initiative, in order to make their voices heard and defend the youth-centered approach and quality of reproductive health care. Access to quality health services tailored to the needs of young people, especially young women, remains a major demand. This national action plan also helps to fuel local advocacy efforts targeting elected officials and policy makers in municipalities and departments.
Advocacy rooted in areas of intervention that respond to the needs expressed by young people
In the Sédhiou areaThe issue that emerged concerns pregnancies in schools and their link to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In order to take action and convey messages that are most relevant to local realities, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the issues at stake. Data collection work will therefore be carried out, in collaboration with organizations fighting against SGBV, to better understand who the young girls affected by these early and unwanted pregnancies are, what the causes of these pregnancies are, and what the consequences are for their physical and mental health and their education. On this basis, the young leaders will then convey advocacy messages to school principals and school inspectors to encourage them to take a stand in favor of revising Circular 007383 of March 27, 2023, aimed at keeping students in school in the event of pregnancy and ensuring their return to school after childbirth. In the Mbour areaThe commitment focuses on enabling young people to visit healthcare facilities in complete safety and to access high-quality reproductive healthcare services, with confidentiality and respect for their rights. In this particularly touristy area, the sexual exploitation of young people is widespread; it will therefore also be necessary to raise awareness of these issues in order to propose solutions and responses. The action plan implemented will pursue three objectives: – strengthen the environment protecting young people and adolescents from violence – Encourage the Mbour municipal government to allocate budgetary resources to strengthen the capacity of healthcare providers in relation to 1) sexual exploitation and 2) reproductive health approaches for young people. – Monitor the mayor's commitment to addressing issues of sexual exploitation in child protection services.
