Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso face complex societal, security, and health challenges. The consequences of which are most visible among women and girls, who have a higher risk of violence and greater difficulties in accessing health care, education and employment. Given the difficulties in accessing quality sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services, contraceptive use remains limited, rates of early marriage and pregnancy are high, and female genital mutilation and unsafe abortions risk the health of women and girls by jeopardizing their rights.

Educational institutions, including youth NGOs, have been identified as key actors in changing SRHR issues, particularly among young people.

The Objective

The objective of the project is to build capacity in technical and vocational secondary education and higher education to develop a sub-regional approach to building community resilience and SRHR.

The project aims to achieve the following long-term effects:

• Better information and greater freedom of choice for young people regarding sexuality
• Improved health care in public and private facilities for family planning, pregnancy and childbirth care, including safe abortion

The Approach

The RESPECT project, with its regional approach, will focus on several levels:

• Strengthening the SRHR skills of youth and gender of teachers in public health institutes and health professionals through short trainings
• Capacity building for teachers in public health departments and NGOs in research on youth SRHR and gender
• Generation of evidence on youth SRHR in the Sahel through a sub-regional study and development of communication and advocacy products.
• Reinforcement of the existing DERSP-managed observatory in Mali
• Development/updating gender/social inclusion strategic plans
• Strengthening the sub-regional collaboration between public health departments in the Sahel
• Strengthening the collaboration between public health institutes, NGOs and youth associations to improve the quality of teaching and the use of evidence.

The Partnership

The RESPECT Project is a transformative regional collaboration between educational institutions and NGOs to adapt and extend the lessons of SRHR through the generation and use of evidence. The partnership aims to further anchor higher education institutions in the complex and changing contexts of the Sahel and facilitate their contribution to strengthening community resilience in the area of youth SRHR.

Partner Organisations

Educational Institutions:

• The Department of Teaching and Research in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali
• Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, Niger
• Department of Public Health, Health Sciences Training and Research Unit, Joseph KI-ZERBO University, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

NGOs:

• Action, Governance, Integration, Strengthening. Working Group on Health and Development (AGIR-SD), Burkina Faso
• Lafia Matassa – Action for the Health of Youth and Adolescents, Niger.

Technical Partners

• KIT Royal Tropical Institute
• Association for Support to the Development of Population Activities (ASDAP)
• Doniblog
• Knowledge Management and Innovation Clinic (CGIC).