Project Safidy
Project Safidy, which means ‘choice’ in Malagasy, is rooted in the premise that young people across Madagascar have a human right to choose; to choose when to engage in sexual activities and with whom, to choose when to use contraception and which type, and to choose to safeguard their health through access to services.
Access to Sexual Health Education
In Madagascar, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information is challenging for young people to access. Long-standing cultural taboos associated with talking openly about sex, sexuality, and contraception, combined with under-resourced healthcare and education systems, make accessing accurate, rights-based information difficult. Due to these barriers, rates of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain high across the country.1,2
SEED’s Response
Developed in 2012, Project Safidy has expanded from delivering sexual health education in Fort Dauphin to collaborating with the National Ministry of Education to integrate SRHR messages into the national high school curriculum. In 2021, the rights-based curriculum was made available in 583 high schools across Madagascar and encompasses 13 comprehensive and context-appropriate topics. These topics are:
- Puberty
- Menstrual Hygiene Management
- Early Pregnancy
- STIs and HIV
- Communication
- Consent
- Obstetric Fistula
- Cervical Cancer
- Early Marriage
- Sexual Abuse
- Gender Equality
- Advocacy
- Non-sexually Transmitted Infections
After SRHR topics were integrated into the national curriculum, many teachers expressed the need for increased knowledge of SRHR and how to teach it to their students. To address this gap, SEED launched an intensive teacher training programme to equip teachers with the knowledge and confidence to deliver rights-based SRHR education to their students. This activity remains a core component of Project Safidy today and has reached 1,016 teachers in 45 high schools across 13 regions of Madagascar.
To further enhance the sustainability of national SRHR education, SEED partnered with Madagascar’s largest teacher-training university to integrate SRHR modules into their curriculum. This partnership will enable the next generation of Malagasy teachers to obtain the necessary skills and knowledge to provide comprehensive SRHR education to their students, ultimately improving access to SRHR education for high school students across Madagascar for generations to come.
Implementing SRHR topics at different stages of the national curriculum is a huge milestone for the long-term sustainability of Project Safidy. By educating current and future teachers on the importance of SRHR, multiple generations of young people will have access to the necessary tools to make informed decisions about their SRHR. Ultimately, this will empower young people to negotiate safer sexual relationships in line with their rights and reduce their vulnerability to HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancies now and into the future.
National SRHR Advocacy
In 2019, SEED led the creation of a national SRHR Network to bring together passionate activists and civil society organisations working to advance SRHR in Madagascar. Comprised of 37 member organisations, the Network aims to enhance collaboration and skill-sharing between a range of SRHR actors across Madagascar. When member organisations were asked how involvement in the Network has impacted their work, members described feeling more connected to other SRHR organisations and empowered to advocate for quality and resilient SRHR education in partnership with fellow members.
Next Steps (April 2023 – March 2025)
- Collaborate with the National Ministry of Education to deliver intensive SRHR training to 900 teachers across 40 high schools in Madagascar.
- Encourage SRHR stakeholders to implement joint advocacy activities and work together to reinforce positive SRHR values across Madagascar.
- Support the SRHR Network to become an independent organisation and raise the profile of SRHR across Madagascar through advocacy, skill-sharing, and organisational support.
Donors
Project Safidy has been made possible thanks to funding from the Aeonian Foundation. Previous phases of the project have been funded by Amplify Change and the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
References:
1. Guttmacher Institute. Madagascar 2022. Available from: https://www.guttmacher.org/regions/africa/madagascar#:~:text=In%20Madagascar%20in%202015%E2%80%932019,Abortion%20is%20prohibited%20in%20Madagascar.
2. Klinger A, Asgary R. Implementation and evaluation of a curriculum to teach reproductive health to adolescents in northern Madagascar. Int Health. 2016;8(3):179-86.