Gabon

Project Strengths

Technical assistance in the field of social and behavior change communication

Project Name

Preventing early pregnancy of adolescent girls in the Provinces of Hout-Ogooue and Moyen Ogooue in Gabon

Implementing Partners

Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, NGOs in charge of the defense of women’s and girl’s right, Youth Organizations

Supporting Agencies

UNFPA, Government of Japan

Project Period

2019 – 2021

Description of SRHR Needs

In Gabon, maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 316 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2012 (a new demographic and health survey is underway). This mortality is partly explained by adolescent early pregnancy. According to the 2013 population census, 35% of adolescent girls were or had been pregnant. This early fertility reaches 59% in rural areas. Early pregnancy is due to the lack of information and sexual education (89% of adolescents have no knowledge about the fertility period, 79% have poor knowledge of HIV/AIDS), legal and institutional barriers, forced and/or early marriage (11% of adolescent girls are married or living in a union), sexual violence and abuse (the 2013 population census revealed that 33.9% of girls aged 15-19 had experienced sexual violence) and low access to contraception (58% did not have access to contraception). Early pregnancy is one major cause of obstetric fistula in women aged 15 to 24 (50%).

JOICFP’s Intervention

Project purpose:
Early pregnancies reduced by 20% in girls aged 15-19 in Haut-Ogooué and Moyen Ogooue provinces by August 2021.

Target Area and Population:
16,000 youth and adolescent girls (10,000 in Haut Ogooue Province and 6,000 in Moyen Ogooue Province)

Uniqueness in the Approach:
Joint efforts by the multi-sectoral actors related to adolescents and young people, development of communication strategies and messages which can be commonly used by multi-sectors

Activities:
Technical assistance for communication strategy development, message options creation, community action plan and planning of media tools production through participatory workshops and trainings

Project Outcomes

Output 1:
Policies adopted at the national level to provide adolescents and young people, especially the most vulnerable (girls, young indigenous and migrant), with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to make the best choices in terms of sexual reproductive health, are translated into actions in the provinces of Haut Ogooue and Moyen Ogooue.

Output 2:
Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for adolescents and young people aged 10-19 in Haut Ogooue and Moyen Ogooue provinces are improved.

Additional Information: Attachments, Links, etc.

https://gabon.unfpa.org/https://youtu.be/a0AxINEwFcQhttps://youtu.be/FCuHP8LGPFshttps://youtu.be/tCMrBEcOJs4https://youtu.be/T6prZzwWc6shttps://youtu.be/3tDbhgYnxDwhttps://youtu.be/pbYW6BtVFeghttps://youtu.be/Oc_FWA6keaU