Senegal/Reproductive health: an educator praises the work of the Matam commune

Abdoulaye Diaw, president of the Matam Peer Educators Network and focal point of the Power to Youth project in the region, expressed his satisfaction on Saturday with the actions undertaken by the commune to promote reproductive health.

"A lot of progress has been made by the town hall since 2021. We've felt the efforts compared to previous years. Before, we had problems finding partners who could help us with reproductive health strategies," he said.

He was speaking at a citizens' consultation on health-related concerns and issues, organized by local young leaders in conjunction with the commune.

The meeting was attended by municipal councillors, a midwife and 40 young people from the commune.

According to Abdoulaye Diaw, Matam town council has begun to involve young people in municipal activities, asking them for their opinions on youth-related issues, particularly reproductive health.

With the support of the World Bank, the municipality relied on young people involved in the Power to Youth project to try to "find appropriate solutions to problems facing young people".

"Our main concern was that she should put an envelope on the table to support districts and health posts to help adolescents benefit from these funds in order to treat themselves. This has been done, along with support for girls in the form of sanitary towels", said Mr. Diaw.

The Power to Youth focal point added that this envelope is currently being renewed "to better address the concerns of young people".

Power to Youth has been running since 2021 in several regions of Senegal, including Matam. The project is in its final year in the region.

Source: aps.sn/