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Digital Pulse - Ch 3 - Sec 2 - Young Adult Reproductive Health (YARH) Project

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Summary

The Digital Pulse: The Current and Future Applications of Information and Communication Technologies for Developmental Health Priorities


Chapter 3 - Programme Experiences: Sixty Case Studies Of ICT Usage In Developmental Health

Section 2 – Social Development, Education, Advocacy



Young Adult Reproductive Health (YARH) Project - Nigeria


POLICY Project




Development Issues: Political Development, Youth, Reproductive Health, Family Planning, HIV/AIDS.


Programme Summary

In August 2002, the POLICY Project launched a one-year young adult reproductive health (YARH) pilot project in Edo State, Nigeria. The initial aim of the programme is to encourage the Edo state government to approve a statewide YARH strategic plan and increased funding for YARH programmes to the end of strengthening and broadening family planning (FP), reproductive health (RH), and HIV/AIDS services. An accompanying goal is to ensure that accurate information informs policy decisions and that there is local capacity to provide FP/RH/AIDS policy training.


Programme organizers cite these figures:

  • One in five people in Nigeria are in the 15-24 age bracket, comprising 22 million in 2000.
  • Young Nigerians face risks associated with early sexual debut and marriage and with early pregnancy and unsafe abortion.
  • Sexual abuse and female genital mutilation (FGM) are also common.
  • Contraceptive use is 6.6% among 15-19 year olds and 16% among 20-24 year olds. In 1998, 60% of reported AIDS cases in Nigeria were among 15-24 year olds. While abortion data are sparse, available evidence suggests that the majority of abortions occur among teenage girls.



Summary of ICT Initiatives

An assessment conducted by USAID/Nigeria and POLICY resulted in the selection of Edo State and a local partner NGO, Women's Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC) in Benin City. WHARC has assisted with activities like visiting local NGOs working in youth, RH, FP, human rights, and women's issues to gauge the level of interest in a youth advocacy network and to assess the extent of skills and resources. Once a core group of interested organisations, individuals, and church groups was identified, POLICY and WHARC organized a meeting to launch the network.


Still in its nascent stages, the network will work through meetings in an effort to begin the process of developing a strategic plan to present to the state government. Following a needs-based assessment, a state-level advocacy-training workshop will be conducted for members of the network to provide additional information on key YARH issues and to refine the strategic plan. Data from research will be used to help craft advocacy messages, which will be conveyed through meetings that use visual aids such as PowerPoint, that are designed to convince politicians and other policy makers to support the strategy.


Observations

A large number of NGOs in Nigeria are involved with YARH, but most of these NGOs are involved in small neighbourhood programmes. In 1999 a local youth-oriented NGO, Action Health International, organized a national YARH conference; in response, the Federal Ministry of Health published a draft National Strategic Framework for Adolescent Reproductive Health. However, neither this national strategy nor the accompanying policy has been acted upon. Since services and budgets are disbursed at the state levels, the state government is the most appropriate starting point. Edo State was selected for this effort, specifically, because of the number of issues facing youth, as well as because of the dearth of donor projects, in that state. These activities will provide a model for other Nigerian states and other POLICY countries.


Partners: USAID/Nigeria, WHARC, Futures Group


Source: Letter sent from Scott Moreland to the Nigeria AIDS e-forum on January 8, 2002; "Development of and Advocacy for a Young Adult Reproductive Health Strategy in Edo State" sent in a letter from Scott Moreland to The Communication Initiative on June 13, 2002; letter sent from Scott Moreland to The Communication Initiative on September 11, 2002.


For More Information Contact:

POLICY Project Office

Jerome Mafeni or Charity Ibeawuchi

2A Lake Chad Crescent Off IBB Way

Maitama

Abuja, Nigeria

Tel.: 234-9-413-5945

Fax: 234-9-413-5944

mafeni@infoweb.abs.net


Scott Moreland, Country Manager

s.moreland@tfgi.com


WHARC

wharc@warri.rcl.nig.com