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25-year-old law graduate Eugénie from Togo is an SRHR activist and volunteer teleconsultant on the allô 1011 Togo hotline, a toll free number for the protection of children. She has also been closely involved in the development of a new app, InfoAdoJeune. Already, over 1,700 young people have received the information they requested on sexual and reproductive health through the app.”. “Young people are more likely to ask their questions online than in front of a (health) provider.”
Getting young people in Togo the information they need
“As a child I did not have the chance to get information about sexuality from my parents. For them, these topics were considered taboo”, says Eugénie. “When I first started menstruating, it was a shock for me. It was only thanks to my friends that I gradually learned to manage my menstrual periods.”
“In Togo our population is predominantly young. They need easy and affordable access to reproductive health services, including free contraceptive methods. Healthcare centres need to be adapted to their needs. Services should be available outside of school hours and where they can stay anonymous. They also need age-appropriate and culturally relevant information on reproductive health and relationships.”
“As a child I did not have the chance to get information about sexuality from my parents. For them, these topics were considered taboo.”
“My role as a champion and teleconsultant is to provide accurate information to adolescents and young people and refer them to a qualified health centre. I help young people find solutions to their problems in complete discretion and confidentiality. For example, I have met girls who have confessed that they often take emergency contraceptives after every sexual encounter to avoid pregnancy. After counselling them, I referred these girls to a clinic so they could start using a contraceptive method.”
“There are many good ways young people can get the information they need. We should integrate sexuality education in training curricula, make reproductive health and family planning services free for young people and available in school and university clinics. We should also look at sexuality education in and out of school. I think it could be scaled up and be offered in digital forms or in comic books.”
Young people update their own app
One such digital way of offering young people answers to their questions is the app InfoAdoJeune by Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ATBEF). “During the workshop to develop the application, we proposed that it should be possible for young people to also order medicines online. Currently, this is in the testing phase. Other functionalities we added include an online pharmacy where you can plan appointments, a new teleconsultation functionality and a button to join the youth movement.”
“Young people are more comfortable behind their phones. They’ll ask questions about what they really face.”
Reaching more young people, with better information
“My involvement in the app development has allowed me to broaden my knowledge. We summarised the sexuality education components of the app and I learned so much. I realised that we young people think we have the right information through social networks, but we often don’t. Young people need help. I made a personal commitment to lead a responsible sexual life to serve as a role model for my peers.”
“I have come to understand that it is easier for young people to use sexual health services online t because they are comfortable hiding behind their phones and staying anonymous. They are also more likely to ask what they really want to know than when seated in front of a (health) provider.”
“My work as a champion brings services and accurate information closer to people. There is a big demand – not only because of the ability to receive information and treatment anonymously: through the InfoAdoJeune app, people can be consulted by a qualified provider without having to travel.”
Eugénie hopes to further improve the accessibility of the app, including for young people with limited access to the internet. “They are an important group of our population.”
“The InfoAdoJeune app is a real innovation that addresses the various needs of adolescents and young people in Togo.”
In and out of school awareness
“I have become a passionate activist on issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights. I comfortably talk about these topics to those around me.”. “I don’t just focus on young people in schools. With ATBEF’s outreach we also aim at young people who have left school. I think that these young people need more information, because they have the right to finish their apprenticeship and the risk of getting pregnant during their training is real.”
“To spread more awareness, I have set up a theatre group that stages comprehensive sexuality education themes and we are often asked to perform. We talk about pregnancies, violence and especially try to break the taboos around sexuality. We even took part in the national theatre competition on social cohesion on International Youth Day in 2022, where we won first prize. Apparently, the public really appreciates what we do!”
