Launch of Plan International Togo's « My Health - My Rights » project

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Extract from the article: The issue of promoting the universal sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents remains a topical one in Togo. The implementation of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Human Rights (SRHR) strategy is generally hampered by various fa

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The issue of promoting the universal sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents remains a topical one in Togo. The implementation of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Human Rights (SRHR) strategy is generally hampered by various factors including insufficient funding and gaps in technical capacity. In response to this situation, Plan International Togo has initiated the "My Health - My Rights" project. The objective of this project is to contribute to the provision of quality sexuality education, information and services on sexual and reproductive health and rights to adolescents in general and girls in particular, in a safe and supportive environment by public and community health systems in the areas covered. The activities were launched on Monday 13 March in Tsévié by Adjovi Lolonyo Apedoh-Anakoma, Minister of Social Action, Women's Protection and Literacy. The event was attended by Awa Faly Ba, Resident Representative of Plan International Togo. Before the launch, the project stakeholders signed the project charter.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is institutionalised in policy documents, but the provisions do not cover the eight key concepts of CSE as defined by UNESCO and there is resistance to this approach. SRH services are in short supply and suffer from poor infrastructure, lack of staff and basic supplies and commodities. In addition, provider bias due to prevailing social norms and values means that adolescents right to privacy, non-judgmental treatment and objective information is often violated; this is an additional barrier to adolescents access to SRH services, especially for girls. In addition, Togo has not yet developed national standards for adolescent-friendly health services aligned with WHO standards.

In response to this situation, Plan International initiated, in collaboration with the NGO La Colombe and the Ministries of Health, Education and Social Action, the project « Promotion of universal sexual and reproductive health and rights of vulnerable adolescents in West Africa-Togo, Maritime Region » or « My Health-My Rights ». This project contributes to public and community health coverage. It promotes an enabling environment that increases access to comprehensive, quality sexuality education, information and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services for adolescents, particularly girls and vulnerable adolescents of all genders, including married girls, out-of-school adolescents and young mothers.

According to Awa Faly Ba, Resident Representative of Plan International Togo, « The right to health is a fundamental right for children, adolescents and people in general. It is often the case that when it comes to the right to health, the specificity of the girl and the adolescent is often overlooked when focusing on the female adult age group or the youth group. The project particularly aims to focus on the right to health of the adolescent girl, which gives her concrete access. The rights dimension should allow for an intergenerational, multi-actor dialogue with a leadership dimension ».

« It is also an opportunity through this project to go beyond the taboo surrounding sexual life and therefore discuss so that adolescent girls are informed. But also so that they can have access to all the services that are linked to their sexuality. It's about lifting a taboo while respecting our norms, our traditions, but also ensuring that the relevant information and services are available to adolescent girls. It is a way to fight against early and unwanted pregnancies which are often a source of school drop-out, especially in this region of Togo », added Awa Faly Ba.

Implementation of the project

The project is financed at a cost of 886,057,650 CFA francs by the European Union (90%) and by Plan Denmark (10%). It has a duration of 3 years, from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. It covers six (06) countries including Togo (Benin, Burkina-Faso, Guinea, Guinea and Sierra Leone). It is implemented in partnership with the NGO La Colombe in twenty-four (24) cantons of three (03) prefectures of the Maritime Region (Zio, Vo and Yoto). On the ground, it is carried out with the full participation of community actors and the deconcentrated services of the health, education and social action sectors.

Sexual health and rights are key factors for gender equality and also for economic growth and development, the protection of children and the elimination of gender-based violence. Furthermore, violations of sexual health and rights are a form of violence against women and girls and hinder the achievement of gender equality programmes.

Counting on the commitment of all actors involved in the implementation of this project, the Minister in charge of Social Action, Adjovi Lolonyo Apedoh-Anakoma thanked the European Union for its financial support to the project and for its unwavering support to the Togolese state. She reaffirmed the Government's commitment to provide the necessary support and guidance for the success of this project.  « ...Girls' access to sexual and reproductive health services and related rights still remains a challenge. Parent-child communication on SRH topics still meets resistance, if not a taboo subject. In this context, the "My Health, My Rights" project comes at the right time.... I remain convinced that the implementation of this project and the results it will have achieved will contribute to raising awareness among families and communities on the need for communication between parents and children. This is to prevent our children, especially our girls, from perishing for lack of knowledge », she said.

The project's intended impact on the population

The project Promotion of Health and Universal Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Vulnerable Adolescents in Togo: My Health, My Rights is an opportunity to contribute to a sustainable response to the urgent needs of adolescent girls and young people in Togo. « This project has the ambition to reach 97,000 girls, in terms of information, education and access to services. We really believe that this will have an impact and allow these girls to continue their education when they are in school. This will allow them to have a trade when they are in apprenticeship and allow them to have access to decent income when they are neither in school nor at the level of technical education », said the Resident Representative of Plan International Togo.

For Didier Nakpane, Project Coordinator, one of the expected results is that parents, caregivers, teachers, traditional and religious leaders, and community members have a good understanding of and positive attitudes towards gender and SRHR of children, including Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) and contraception. They should support CSE and equitable access to SRH services. « Young people will be equipped to make the right decision about sexual and reproductive health. This will help to forge a youth capable of seeking services in health centres and forge a responsible vision on their own life », he said.

Togbui Amegnran-Ado VI, Chief of Dzrekpo Canton in the prefecture of Vo, expressed his interest and commitment to the project. For the traditional chief, this project will have a positive impact on young people and adolescents and above all contribute to improving the educational, health and community systems. This will be done by promoting an enabling environment for access to information on reproductive health issues and health services.

The launching ceremony aims essentially to formalise the start of the project's activities in Togo and particularly in the implementation zone.

William O.