A Voice, and A Choice
“9ja Girls is all about girls. People say girls choose contraception because they are promiscuous. Or if you are married, it means you don’t want to have a child with your husband,” Beth explains. “But I know that contraception allows girls like me to reach their dreams.”
Deliver on What Girls Want and Need, Today
At 23, Peace, a youth-friendly health provider, is at the frontline in ensuring no girl ever must question where to access the tools and how to ask the questions that shape their life decisions.
Saturday is Girls-Only Day
As a health mobilizer, Abiola dives deep into her community, rallying young unmarried girls aged 15-19 each Saturday to join 9ja Girls’ Life, Love and Health class, a girls-only space for girls to gain skills to achieve their life goals. But it’s not without its challenges.
At First, This Mother Was Skeptical. That’s Since Changed.
Across Nigeria, girls like Taiwo navigate a complex web of socio-cultural barriers that limit their access to SRH information and services. Myths and misperceptions around contraception are rampant, and public health facilities often lack adolescent and youth SRH services. The repercussions run deep.
We Must Not Overlook Adolescent Health
As the Medical Officer of Health for Lagos’s Agege Local Government, Dr. Akintayo is tasked with paving critical pathways for young people to access sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. In a culture flooded with entrenched taboos surrounding contraception and with a health system that does not always have clear avenues for adolescents to access SRH information and services, Dr. Akintayo knows that finding new, innovative approaches to serve his district’s youth remains imperative.
The girl-defined spaces breaking down taboos
Across Nigeria, girls navigate a complex web of socio-cultural barriers that limit their access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services. Taboos around contraception remain rampant, and girls often lack trusted sources and spaces to turn to for questions about their health and changing bodies.
Changing Ethiopia, One Couple at a Time
Thanks to Smart Start, Kamali and Daniel along with many couples across Ethiopia have learned the importance of saving and having resources before having children.
They Carry This Weight Together
Newlywed girls in her rural Ethiopian village often face pressure to prove their fertility quickly. But thanks to a new program Smart Start, the couple now understands the financial pressure adding a baby to their fledgling family would have.