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• Contribute to improving the health and sexual and reproductive rights of adolescents in the Sédhiou region.
• Strengthen access and use of quality sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people.

Education on sexual health is extremely limited in Senegal and in particular in the Sédhiou region where the project takes place, as is access to health, sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR) services for young adolescents .

The incidence of female genital mutilation (FGM) persists particularly in this area: the rate reaches 43% among girls aged 0-14 (the fourth highest victim rate) and 76% among women aged 15-49. years (the second highest casualty rate in the country) according to figures from the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey. The same is true for obstetric complications related to childbirth, such as fistula.

AMREF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Division of Reproductive Health of the Sédhiou Regional Health Authority and other regional organizations, develops a program to give access to information and the use of sexual and reproductive health services to young people, including prevention of marriages, gender violence and female genital mutilation. It also develops training activities to improve the capacity of health centers to provide sexual and reproductive health services adapted to adolescents and collaborates with schools and local media to disseminate sexual and reproductive health rights for adolescents, especially girls. All actions are carried out with the aim of eradicating FGM in Africa, from the respect and understanding of the traditional values ​​that the communities associated with FGM, presenting alternatives to mutilation, help girls so that they can get rid of the stigma of not being circumcised and introduction of preventive measures.

• Training of front-line health workers to manage FGM cases

• Establishment of services adapted to the needs of young people in health centers

• Equipment of health facilities for the provision of quality SRHR services

• Support for outreach activities of frontline health workers in the communities (family planning, detection of cases of early pregnancy, detection of the sequelae of excision of female genital organs and defibulation, detection of HIV cases, detection of fistula cases, treatment, etc.)

• Awareness and application of sexual and reproductive health services and rights in schools

• Care of fistulas, female and other obstetric problems

• Development of communication materials, web and alliances with community entities for the dissemination of sexual and reproductive health rights for adolescents, especially girls.

Over 300 girls from Senegal will receive information to prevent female genital mutilation

Amref Salud África (web)