Submission ID 118492
| Issue/Objective | Adolescents worldwide face significant challenges in achieving their sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR), with those in West Africa among the most disadvantaged. Progress is urgently needed to meet SDG 5 on Gender Equality by 2030, including eliminating harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). This paper shares findings from a multi-year, qualitative, longitudinal study examining barriers and enablers to ASRHR outcomes. It evaluates the impact of the Foundations Project - funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Save the Children-a comprehensive ASRHR and girls' empowerment initiative in Mali, Niger, and Sierra Leone, focused on improving adolescent attitudes, knowledge, and access to quality sexual and reproductive health services. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Conducted in 2024-2025, the study involved 330 adolescent girls, 115 boys, 170 caregivers, and 164 service providers across Mali, Niger, and Sierra Leone, covering two programming and and one non-programming sites per country. Participants varied in education, marital status, and disability. Using participatory, qualitative methods-such as interviews, service mapping, vignettes, and audio diaries-the research examined adolescent knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours around ASRHR. Key informant interviews with community and district service providers enriched the analysis, highlighting both progress and gaps in ASRHR service provision, notably for adolescent girls. |
| Results | Adolescents in remote areas face significant barriers to accessing ASRHR services, with girls, young adolescents (10-14), school dropouts, and those with disabilities most affected. Harmful gender norms-such as stigma around pre-marital sex, gender-based violence, child marriage, and FGM-remain widespread. However, the Foundations Project's community and school-based education efforts are improving SRH knowledge and awareness of these norms. It has also strengthened local health centers' capacity to offer adolescent-friendly services. Still, stigma continues to hinder care-seeking, underscoring the need for sustained action to address entrenched cultural and gender-related barriers. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Findings highlight that projects working at community, school and systems strengthening levels, like Foundations, can play a pivotal role in tackling barriers that girls face in realising ASRHR in low-income contexts. However, shifting entrenched discriminatory gender norms and practices is complex, and requires greater attention to effective community engagement, including with traditional and religious leaders, along with men and boys. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Paola Pereznieto ODI Global Paola Pereznieto ODI Global Nicola Jones ODI Global Shruthi Dileep ODI Global Henrietta Kumba Koroma IFDSL Mariam Diakite Independent Researcher Christine Makia EVIHDAF |
