The Jeunes en Vigie project has set itself the challenge of improving access for adolescent girls and young women to high-quality integrated health services that are tailored to their specific needs and constraints, while respecting their rights. The project Youth on the Lookout – From Social Auditing to Health Rights for All: Teenage Girls and Young Women in Action has been deployed in two West African countries (Burkina Faso and Senegal) since September 2020 for a period of three years. During a workshop held from March 1 to 5, 2021, in Ouagadougou, the members of the consortium—comprising Equipop, JED, RAES, BURCASO, and SOS/JD—validated and took ownership of the project's thematic and media training modules. Through activities that will be carried out in the field (social audits, social and political mobilization, strengthening of health structures, and capitalization), this project will:
- Strengthen the capacity of health care providers to provide high-quality information and care for the prevention and management of the three pandemics, tailored to adolescents and young people.
- Supporting change in social norms and policies
- Generate new knowledge on tools and methodologies aimed at strengthening the capacities of youth-friendly services and health providers to improve the provision of care to young people (specifically on SR/FP and the three pandemics—HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis).
The aim is to put adolescent girls and young women at the heart of the action through capacity-building activities, support in changing social norms, and knowledge production. This will enable them to hold national and local authorities accountable for their commitments and progress in addressing their sexual and reproductive rights and health and combating the three pandemics. In Burkina Faso and Niger, the project's actions each have a national scope. Field activities will take place in Burkina Faso in the health districts of Koudougou and Réo (in the Centre-West region, 110 kilometers from Ouagadougou) and in the districts of Koupéla and Tenkodogo (in the Centre-East region); and in Senegal in the health districts of Matam (Matam) and Mbour (Thiès). Young people on the move to conduct a social audit Conducting a social audit on the right to health for all is the credo of the Jeunes en vigie project. To this end, young women are at the center of the audits. Far from being observers or beneficiaries in the implementation of the project, young girls are at the heart of the actions of social accountability aimed at ensuring that their rights are respected. The project helps develop their ability to challenge stakeholders on issues related to SRHR and care for the three pandemics affecting young people, particularly young girls in the localities where the project is being implemented. It also facilitates their empowerment while strengthening their capacity to bring about change in terms of access to information and healthcare. Components of social accountability Social accountability refers to the collective efforts of citizens and civil society to help service providers, government representatives, and decision-makers responsible for services to be more effective. Social audits will be conducted in six intervention districts in Burkina Faso (four districts) and Senegal (two districts) to identify problems related to access to SRHR services and three quality pandemics, and then to find solutions with local and health authorities through social and political mobilization. Social accountability allows us to hold each other accountable for improving access, equity, and quality of services.
