While Maternal and Child mortality remains a global concern, Rwanda is one of the countries proving the possibility and hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on maternal deaths of 70 per 100,000 live births though more efforts are still needed. Rwanda was able to reduce the Maternal Mortality Ratio from 1,071 deaths in 2,000 to 203 deaths in 2019-2020 per 100,000 live births, an enormous achievement worthy to celebrate!
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal, an unusual focus, attention and efforts will need to be invested in the young and teenage mothers’ maternal health. According to the Rwanda DHS 2019-2021, only 43.2% of pregnant girls below 20 years of age attended 4 antenatal care visits while for those aged 20-35 was 49.5%. It again reported that 7.4% and 7.2% of deaths among females aged 15-19 and 20-24 respectively, are maternal.
Several studies have pointed out the enormous risks which are associated with teenage pregnancies, such as anemia, preterm labor, urinary tract infections, preeclampsia, high rate of cesarean sections, preterm birth, and low birth weight infants and even maternal and newborn mortality.
Towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on maternal deaths of 70 per 100,000 live births, we as a for youth by youth movement and youth led NGO, we offer the below commitments and contributions:
● Efficient reduction of teenage pregnancies
● Appropriate psychosocial support and prenatal care orientation
● Reducing early and forced marriages;
● Creating understanding and support to reduce unwanted pregnancy among young women;
● Increasing the use of contraception by youths and adolescents at the risk of unintended pregnancy;
● Reducing coerced sex among youths and adolescents;
● Empowering upcoming health professionals including Midwifery, Nursing, Medical and Mental Health Students who are volunteering with us.
We partner with the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Center, University of Rwanda/ College of Medicine and Health Sciences, CSOs and YLOs and other Private Institutions/ individuals.
Condom Awareness Week (#CondomWeek2021) Campaign is a yearly weekly campaign (from February 8th – 12th) inaugurated in this year of 2021 that is conducted before the official celebration of International Condom Day (ICD), on every February 13th. The whole world is substantially committed towards prevention of pregnancies and STIs mainly HIV/AIDS and Community Health Boosters has been having a light eye on this agenda more so in youth and adolescent perspectives.
International Condom Day is celebrated on February 13th – a day before Valentine’s Day, as a way of reminding ourselves of condoms and how effective they are in preventing unwanted pregnancies and STIs, including HIV. This year’s theme was “Safer Is Fun” and since its inception in 2009, the day is commemorated as an effort to reduce and stop new HIV infections through safe sex practices. Through organizing community engagement activities, raising awareness and breaking the misconceptions/myths around the condom use, and distributing and availing the condoms to the vulnerable communities, the Condom Week was established to normalize the use of condoms in the community towards reducing teenage/unwanted pregnancies (and ban the related pregnancy complications and unsafe abortions, street kids, school dropouts, etc.) and STIs including new HIV/AIDS Infections by promoting the practice of Safe Sex using condoms.
As a response to the predicament challenge of new HIV/AIDS and Other STIs, and Unwanted Teenage Pregnancies among Rwandan Youth and Adolescents which might have been being aggravated by Covid-19 pandemic, Community Health Boosters (CHB) through its yearly Condom Awareness Week Campaign, has organized and implemented a Virtual awareness raising campaign aimed at promoting the use of condoms through awareness raising, behavior change and distribution of condoms as means of preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. In partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), USAID-INGOBYI Activity, and Society for Family Health (SFH) was able to reach more than 435,687 people on social medias with the big count of youth and adolescents. Again, CHB in partnership with SFH-Rwanda, was able to distribute a total of 27, 000 male condoms in University Campuses and Youth-friendly Centers.
Due to Covid-19 restrictive measures, at its inauguration and very first celebration Condom Week 2021 was conducted Virtually through social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Press Medias and News Papers under the theme “Use Condom, Be Safe”.
WAYFORWARD AND CALL FOR ACTIONS:
CHB basing on the recommendations from beneficiaries and its existing commitments towards prevention of unwanted/teenage pregnancies and new HIV/AIDS Infections is proposing the below Action road map and recommendations:
ACTIVITIES:
★ Increasing the number of our beneficiaries by extending the areas of reach (Extension and Continuous distribution of condoms in all Universities in Rwanda and Youth-friendly Centers).
★ Conduction of many awareness raising campaigns to break myths, stigma, misconceptions and cultural barriers around the condom to normalize its use in the community.
★ Recording and Producing a Demonstration Video on proper and effective use of the condoms
RECOMMENDATIONS:
CHB is calling for multi-stakeholders’ partnership including MoH, RBC, Local and International CSOs, Private and Public Entities working on ASRH/FP and prevention of HIV/AIDS to contribute at their ability in the below parts;
● Donation of Condoms
● Financial Support for the Campaign activities and related materials including banners, flyers, and Edutainment Animated Video, etc.
● Covering the Fees for TV Shows and Radio Talks
RELATED ARTICLES:
https://igihe.com/amakuru/u-rwanda/article/urubyiruko-rwo-mu-mashuri-makuru-na-kaminuza-rwahawe-udukingirizo-ibihumbi-27
https://inyarwanda.com/inkuru/103089/musanzemu-gihe-hizihizwa-umunsi-wa-saint-valentin-urubyiruko-rwahuguwe-ku-ikoreshwa-ryagak-103089.html
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/varsity-students-body-campaign-dismantle-stigma-around-condom-use
https://www.thecampus.rw/post/view/does-youth-know-that-use-of-condom-is-safer-and-fun-than-acquiring-stds-and-unwanted-pregnancies
https://inyarwanda.com/inkuru/103075/umuryango-community-health-boosters-wasoje-icyumweru-cyahariwe-ubukangurambaga-ku-ikoreshw-103075.html
CAW is a yearly weekly campaign (from Sept 20th-25th) conducted before the celebration of World Contraception Day on Sept 26th. It was originated by Community Health Boosters, in 2020 and established to mobilize youth networks to join forces towards achieving the world where every pregnancy is wanted through improving awareness of contraception and to enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals, youth institutions and organizations in Rwanda to call for the prevention and elimination of unwanted pregnancies and other distinguished FP/ASRH distinguished challenges.
During 2020 due to Covid-19 prevention restrictive measures, CAW’s inauguration and its very first celebration was conducted through massive social media campaign by a joint force of youth lead NGOs namely Community Health Boosters (CHB), International Youth Alliance for Family Planning (IYAFP) and Medical Students Association of Rwanda (MEDSAR) and other distinguished partners under the theme “advancing early youth engagement in contraceptive use amidst covid-19 pandemic”. The Campaign was conducted via distinguished social Medias including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and other individual platforms.
“Chile and Ethiopia have shown what can be achieved through strong leadership, good science, adequate investment and effective management. In Chile, Contraceptive use at first intercourse among adolescents rose by 30% between 2007 and 2018. In Ethiopia, contraceptive use by married adolescents aged 15-19 years increased by 29% from 2000 to 2016. On this World Contraception Day, let us commit to learning from the lessons from other countries to strengthen access to and uptake of contraception by adolescents in each of our countries”. Said Dr Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli (Scientist, ASRH & Research Department, WHO Geneva).
“On this World Contraception Day, it is our responsibility to support communities to know more about the benefits of using contraceptives. There is no better time to raise awareness on contraception and safe sex, increase demand for and access to family planning services, and empower young people to make informed decisions as to strive for a world where every pregnancy in wanted”. Said Mark Bryan Schreiner, UNFPA Rwanda Representative.
The campaign was open for everyone to participate by sharing his/her contraceptive use related message in attractive and eye-catching posters addressed to the youth on social media platforms and impacted more than 231,795 people excluding these reached via individual social media accounts especially youth through different social media platforms. All these achievements are thanks to contribution of distinguished partnering individuals, CSOs, youth NGOs, Volunteers, Clubs and Associations, and other influential people to the youth as well as role models.
Periods are a fact of life. It is not something we can change. Yet, there is a stigma attached to periods. On any given day, more than 300 million people are menstruating, despite menstrual hygiene remains a neglected component that affects the life course of many women and girls. Worldwide, it is estimated that currently; about 800milions women and girls globally face constraints in their needs to manage their menstruation well. In many parts of the world including Rwanda, periods can stop girls living normal lives. Girls still feel embarrassed or ashamed when on their periods, use improper subtitles as sanitary products, and even miss out on vital education because of them. While girls’ and women’s menstrual health and hygiene have been going unmet, the issue has become even worse due to Covid-19 pandemic consequences.
Evode Niyibizi, Program Manager, African Youth and Adolescents Network population (AfriYAN Rwanda) confirmed that the majority of menstruating girls are stigmatized by people around them.
He adds that the majority of women have no access to clean and safe sanitary products which has a long-lasting impact, especially on the school-going-girl children.
"Lack of facilities, stigma, and inappropriate sanitary products can push menstruating girls out of school," he says. "but through our aim, we hope to have a country in which no woman or girl is held back because she menstruates. For this to be a reality, we put forward the crucial role of men and boys, by educating them as we educate our sisters”.
Now that the whole world needs to join efforts together towards ending periods poverty more than ever, Community Health Boosters commits to this agenda in solidarity with the whole globe towards creating the world where everyone can access and afford the menstrual products of their choice, period stigma is history, everyone has basic information about menstruation (this also includes boys and men) and everyone can access period-friendly water, sanitation & hygiene facilities everywhere. Like this towards creation of a world where no woman or girl is held back because she menstruates by 2030, CHB through the African Youth and Adolescents Network (AfriYAN-Rwanda) have conducted a one-week Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) campaign (from 24th-28th, May 2021). The campaign aimed at breaking the silence around menstrual hygiene management in order to build a community where women and girls are no longer limited by their periods.
As part of the activities during the campaign, 20 adolescent peer ambassadors (boys and girls) were trained on menstruation and its linkage to sexual and reproductive health, harmful social culture norms on individual, community, systematic and institutional level as well as stigma and taboos that affect women and girl’s menstrual health and their participation in public daily life. In addition, these youths and adolescents were trained on management of menstrual hygiene using the Self-made Reusable Menstrual Pads in a way to help those girls/women who can’t afford the price of single use pads. Moreover, the participants were given a total of 75 packs of single use pads as an aid in management of their periods whereas other 50 packs were distributed in the girls’ rooms at 1 secondary school during the conduction of menstrual hygiene management outreach there.
Youth and Students Speak out
Rose mbabazi, the head girl, G.S Kimironko II said she knows her fellow girls who skip classes due to lack of necessary menstrual management equipment alongside problems of stigma and embarrassment around menstruation.
Anaclet Ahishakiye, executive director of Community Health Boosters a youth-led NGO founded by students from the University of Rwanda’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences, said they are committed to creating solidarity where every girl and woman can access and afford the menstrual product of their choice.
Towards creating the world where everyone can access and afford the menstrual product of their choice, period stigma is history, everyone has basic information about menstruation (this also includes boys and men) and everyone can access period-friendly water, sanitation & hygiene facilities everywhere; there is a need of multi-stakeholders’ (non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media, etc.) efforts, and inclusion of both girls/women and boys/men.
There is a need for increased investments in community awareness raising programs (to break the silence, and change negative social norms around MHM), sanitation facilities including availability of water, soaps, disposal places, private rooms for girls and women, and menstrual hygiene materials.
More Articles Related to the Campaign:
https://inyarwanda.com/inkuru/106068/kigali-urubyiruko-rwahuguwe-ku-isuku-mu-gihe-cyimihango-ndetse-nuko-rushobora-kwikorera-im-106068.html
https://www.thecampus.rw/post/view/its-time-for-action-end-stigma-to-menstruating-girls-and-women