Teenagers benefit from training, counselling to prevent early pregnancies, HIV and SGBV

By Eliashakizimana.

A big number of Adolescent Girls and Young women from Nyagatare and Gatsibo districts of Rwanda have benefited from AFRO ARK interventions with the support of UNAIDS.

The 3 months project built the capacity of community service providers including Community Health workers (CHW), Inshuti z’Umuryango (IZUs) and Umugoroba w’Ababyeyi/Umuryango to link the beneficiaries to HIV/SRH and SGBV services.

Health Service providers (Nurses), local leaders and Isange One Stop Center were also engaged to offer the services in a favourable environment.

The interventions also include youth mobilization on access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) among the in-school and out-school teenagers.

The 3-months project that was initiated in Nyagatare district played role in eradicating the increase of teen pregnancies in the district and the linkage between HIV infection, SRHR and Sexual and Gender-based Violence according to Patience IRIBAGIZA, Founder and Executive Director of AfroArk.

“We recognize the role of community actors and stakeholders to mitigate the problem of teen pregnancies related to HIV infection and SGBV.”She said.

This project has the objectives to enhance the capacity of community service providers to support the health system in availing SRHR/HIV/SGBV services within community settings in Nyagatare District.

“We also wanted to strengthen coordination and linkage to services among existing referral systems and local mechanisms that address SGBV/ASRH, including ‘Umugoroba w’Ababyeyi’ and ‘Inshuti z’Umuryango identified for implementation of their actions and improve access to Isange One Stop Centers, health facilities and other service delivery points in the district.” Iribagiza added.

According to the project’s outputs, 800 were facilitated with HIV testing and counseling, and provision of SRHR and SGBV information and services in August 2022. An evaluation meeting of September 8, also found that 80 community service providers were trained and 75 Health providers and local leaders were engaged in June 2022.

Challenges

The key challenges observed include unprotected sex that is still at large among adolescents and young women, perpetrators of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) who compromise parents to escape justice as the cases are rarely reported; and lack of awareness of GBV law among many communities.

Proposed solutions

Iribagiza said that trained community actors will continue to link adolescent girls and young women to health service providers for them to access HIV/SRH and SGBV services. She also recommended having periodical onsite service provision to ensure equal opportunity to the accessibility of these services.

Beneficiaries of the programs say that they gained a lot and cannot be trapped into the lured that contribute to the increase of such burdens.

Adolice Rukundo who is turning 20 years old this September, is one of the beneficiaries from Musheri Sector. She represents 40 adolescent girls and young women in the area.

“We were trained on how to prevent and avoid temptations that lead to unprotected sex. We were given an opportunity to approach nurses at health centers to get family planning services and some drugs to prevent pregnancies once an adolescent girl or young woman has done unprotected sex.” She said.

The role of healthcare providers

Nicodeme Tumusiime, a nurse at Rukomo Health Center in Nyagatare District explained that they use two approaches to help the beneficiaries access information and services that help them to prevent teenage pregnancies, HIV and SGBV.

“With the support of peer educators, adolescent girls in schools, during the holidays, reach us at health centers two weeks in a month to access the services, including HIV prevention and family planning services in our youth corners. Besides, we provide individual counselling services for those who want them. Another approach for adolescent girls and young women who are not in schools is to reach them out in the villages,” he said.

Jean Shema, another nurse from Muhura Health Center in Gatsibo district where the interventions were expanded said that they expect very promising outcomes after getting the training to support adolescent girls and women in preventing teenage pregnancies, HIV and SGBV.

“Many teen mothers are coming to the youth corner to seek for the services comparing to the period before the training,” Shema said, adding that the majority of beneficiaries are aged between 16-20 years old.

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