SRHR training for adolescents

Sexual reproductive health & rights (SRHR) education for in-school adolescents in The Gambia

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Hope Life International, an NGO based out of The Gambia, aims to provide relief and support to those affected by poverty, disease, natural disasters, and human rights violence & abuses.

In the Kanifing Municipal Council in The Gambia, social inequalities, low education attainment, high unemployment and poor sanitation are some of the factors that impede efforts to educate young women and men about reproductive health and provide them with the services they need. In addition, contraceptive use by youth in the community is low. As a result, there are high incidences of teenage pregnancy and cases of STIs and HIV/AIDS.

In 2022, Hope Life International began a yearlong project financed by a Madiro grant. The organization is aiming to give adolescents informed control over their reproductive health by supporting and educating them in a school setting. These workshops will enhance adolescents’ ability to take responsibility for making healthier choices, resisting negative pressures and avoiding risky behaviour.

Hope Life International understands the importance of a holistic approach. Partnering with the Ministry of Education, the organization will collaborate with 20 schools to carry out this project in, targeting around 500 adolescents. Teachers, school heads and educational authorities will also receive training on SRHR to understand the needs and impact of the project on the lives of adolescents.

They will also involve multiple stakeholders in the community including community elders, religious and traditional leaders to sensitize them to the important of SRHR education and address the taboo that exists around it. Ultimately, Hope Life International is aiming to influence policy to re-introduce SRHR in schools within The Gambia.

By the end of the project, Hope Life International has:

• Signed an MOU with the Ministry of Education to allow teachers to teach reproductive health to in-school adolescents
• Trained 2000 in-school adolescents on SRHR
• Trained 40 school teachers and supported the creation of Ambassador Clubs within the schools, helping students keep the conversation going
• Conducted community and leadership sensitization with community elders, religious and traditional leaders

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Hope Life International was awarded a $50,000 grant for this project, as a part of Madiro's call for proposals in 2021 and in collaboration with The Gillian and Adrian Schauer Foundation and the King Baudouin Foundation Canada.

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