The Future of Family Planning in West Africa Starts Here

By Hawa Talla, Project director for francophone West Africa, the Challenge Initiative ; Katherine Seaton, Editorial Officer Photo taken in Senegal for IntraHealth International by Clement Tardif.March 16, 202046% of West Africa’s population lives in urban areas. Additionally,one in seven women under 25 wants to delay or avoid pregnancy but isn’t using any method of contraception.To meet women’s needs for high-quality family planning services in the region sustainably, IntraHealth International hosts the West Africa regional hub forthe Challenge Initiative (TCI). In collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute and with funding from the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation, we work in urban areas to make sure women and girls have access to family planning services and connect with local governments and health systems at the city level to prioritize family planning services.We sat down with Hawa Talla, IntraHealth’s leader of TCI in West Africa, to talk about the future of family planning in the region.How are you changing the lives of young women in francophone West Africa?We are working in ten cities across five different countries—Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Côte d’Ivoire—to help young women make informed decisions about reproductive health, learn how to protect themselves from violence, and create paths for themselves to lead.We work in schools and withyoung transformational leaders, young peo...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Family Planning & Reproductive Health Youth Community Health Workers Source Type: news