Ready for Rights- Sexual and reproductive health
With little access to information about their bodies and their sexual and reproductive rights, young
people in Madagascar face additional challenges as they enter puberty. Ready for Rights, based in the Anosy region of Southeast Madagascar, aims to change this by equipping students, teachers, and healthcare providers with the proper knowledge around key sexual and reproductive health and rights(SRHR) topics and supporting girls to manage their menstruation in schools.
SRHR education gives young people the confidence and knowledge to make informed decisions about their bodies and sexualities. There are positive long-term health and education impacts: improved knowledge around sexual and reproductive health means that students will be better equipped to discuss any problems they might be having, and healthcare workers will better be able to diagnose and treat these problems. Providing girls with the knowledge, supplies, and facilities for managing their periods will not only improve their health outlook, but their education as well.
47% of girls become pregnant before 18 and 16% of young women reported feeling that they could not say ‘no’ to sexual intercourse.
SEED Research Team
The Problem
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) outcomes in Madagascar are concerning. UNAIDS
estimates that between 2010-2017 the number of people living with HIV rose by 84%, and the Ministry
of Public Health reports that young people make up half of the HIV-positive population. SEED research
has shown that in the southeast Anosy region, 47% of girls become pregnant before 18 and 16% of
young women reported feeling that they could not say ‘no’ to sexual intercourse. Additionally, a lack of
facilities or supplies to manage periods at school presents a challenge for menstruating girls, who can
face stigma from peers. As a result, girls often miss days of school due to menstruation, negatively
impacting their education.
Rights-based SRHR education is lacking – previous SEED programming and research have shown that if
young people do receive sexuality education in school, it is likely to be only focused on promoting
abstinence and young people miss out on essential information about their bodies. This lack of
knowledge contributes to stigma around sexual health and menstruation. It is also dangerous from a
health perspective; not only do young people not know what services are available to them, but due to
gaps in training and coordination, healthcare providers may not be able to provide them.
What we’re doing
Ready for Rights is based in four schools in Mahatalaky, Mandromoromotra, Manambaro, and
Soanierana and focuses on equipping students who have reached puberty (ages 11-18) with accurate,
rights-based knowledge around key SRHR topics: menstrual health management, consent, early
pregnancy/family planning, and STI/HIV prevention. Both boys and girls are involved in all these
sessions, as helping boys better understand issues like menstruation will help get rid of some of the
stigmas girls face.
Ready for Rights also supports improved menstrual health management (MHM) through the construction of bathroom facilities at two schools to provide a space where girls can change and wash their pads in private without embarrassment. The programme also conducts reusable pad-making sessions with female students; each girl will make a total of 3 reusable pads. WASH committees have been set up at each school to ensure that students understand the importance of handwashing, keeping their bodies clean, and keeping their bathroom facilities clean as well. To ensure the greatest impact for young people, SEED will target middle school teachers with cascade trainings, to ensure that teachers can provide accurate information to their students.
Healthcare workers are also targeted for training to address any gaps in their own knowledge. Previous
research conducted by SEED highlighted the difference in how boys and girls view sexual and
reproductive health; boys were less likely to communicate with female healthcare staff members
regarding sexual health issues due to feeling uncomfortable. As a result of these findings, SEED will train both male and female teachers to provide specialised sexual and reproductive healthcare to boys and girls, to ensure that all students are able to receive the care they need in a comfortable environment.
SEED seeks to create a lasting impact by equipping teachers and healthcare workers in affected
communities with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to deliver quality SRHR education and
services into the future. Additionally, SEED will work with both national and regional government
ministries to discuss programme outcomes and encourage policymakers to make positive changes
around SRHR education and policies. Improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young
people through educational sessions, training teachers and healthcare workers, and engaging
stakeholders can bring sustainable change that will impact beneficiaries and communities far past the
programme end date.
Report and Documents
Our progress
- Trained 50 Middle School teachers to deliver SRHR education sessions
- Reached 1,900 middle school students with SRHR education sessions on consent,
contraception and menstrual health - Supported 356 female students to make reusable sanitary pads
- Completed construction of two menstrual health bathroom facilities at Soanierana and
Manamabaro - Interviewed local healthcare workers to identify gaps in service provision
- Conducted eight capacity development sessions for 40 healthcare staff
Donors
British Embassy Madagascar
