Ado Avance Ensemble
Ado Avance Ensemble enables vulnerable adolescents to fully exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights in societies that support their needs.
Locations
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo & West Africa at regional level.
Objective
Vulnerable adolescents (10-19 yrs.), particularly girls that have dropped out of school, are able to fully exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights in societies that support their needs.
Duration of programme
2022-2025
Partner organisations
Funded by
European Union
About the programme
Young people make up the majority of the population in Francophone West Africa, and still, their sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services remain underserved. The more vulnerable they are, the less access to information and services they have. The main objective of the EU-financed programme ‘Ado Avance Ensemble’ is to ensure that vulnerable adolescents (10-19 yrs) and young people, particularly out-of-school girls, fully exercise their sexual and reproductive rights in societies that are more supportive of their needs, including access to contraceptives and safe abortion.
To date, we have reached over 7 million adolescents and young people through more than 6,000 peer educators and trained professionals, both offline and online.
Programme objectives and impact
Improving demand for and access to SRHR information and services:
To date, we have reached over 7 million adolescents and young people through more than 6,000 peer educators and trained professionals, both offline and online.
Strengthening public and community health systems:
- To date, we have trained over 26,000 public and private SRH service providers in delivering age-appropriate, youth-friendly services, including contraception and safe abortion methods.
- We have established offline and online referral systems to connect vulnerable adolescents, educators, and parents with quality SRH services.
Promoting an enabling political and societal environment that allows vulnerable adolescents to access quality SRH information and services:
- To date, we have reached over 150,000 parents with SRH information, fostering greater openness and support for their children’s needs.
- We have worked with over 5,000 influencers who contribute to positive SRHR discourse, and our mass media campaigns have reached more than 5.4 million people.
- We have sensitised decision-makers to adapt policies that support adolescent SRHR, including access to contraception and safe abortion.
We have worked with over 5,000 influencers who contribute to positive SRHR discourse, and our mass media campaigns have reached more than 5.4 million people.
Working with religious leaders
“In most rural areas where we work, young people don’t have a smartphone. This is why we don’t just work with influencers who are active on social media. We also work with traditional and religious leaders, because they play an important role as guardians of cultural practices within these rural communities. By ensuring that these community leaders understand the importance of sexuality education for adolescents and young people, we can mobilise them to help us achieve our goal; which is to enable young people to fully enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights.”
Guy Martial Mendo Ze, in charge of the Ado Avance Ensemble Programme at CAMNAFAW in Cameroon.
Peer educators reaching out-of-school adolescents
“We had a peer to peer session with adolescents about teenage pregnancy and contraception. These sessions are so important. When we asked the group when it was OK for a woman to be pregnant, the answer was 15! It is so important to explain to them that when you’re this young, your body is not ready for reproduction.”
Armand Leonce Yede is peer educator in Lataha, Cote d’Ivoire.
Midwives offering youth-friendly services
“Midwives are trusted professionals in our region and having them staff call centres can help us reach adolescents and youth with reliable information, in an anonymous and easily accessible way. I hope we can grow these call centres in the future, so that young people in all parts of the country know about these services.”
Mounaya, midwife working in Abomey Calavi, south Benin.
Investing in youth champions
“Organisations should invest in young people because it is an investment in the future. Young people are more engaged, creative, and dynamic in implementing projects. Ado Avance Ensemble trained me in all aspects of programme implementation, from writing proposals to setting budgets and setting project goals. I learned to become a creative facilitator and engage young people in a way that resonates with them.”
Awawou Mandunh Mbohou. President of the National Youth Forum (FONAJ), which is part of the family planning organisation CAMNAFAW in Cameroon.
This programme is funded by the European Union.
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