{"id":7141,"date":"2024-09-06T16:37:17","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T16:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/intergenerational-dialogues-tackle-family-planning-taboos-in-mali\/"},"modified":"2024-09-06T16:37:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T16:37:17","slug":"intergenerational-dialogues-tackle-family-planning-taboos-in-mali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/fr\/intergenerational-dialogues-tackle-family-planning-taboos-in-mali\/","title":{"rendered":"Intergenerational Dialogues Tackle Family Planning Taboos in Mali"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Mali, adolescents\u2019 and young people\u2019s reproductive health is a national concern, as this life stage from 10-24 years is marked by immense potential as well as critical vulnerabilities, like sexually transmitted infections, early and unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and other risky behaviors. Results in the Mali Demographic and Health Survey<\/a> regarding family planning and reproductive health (FP\/RH) for adolescents and young people are alarming, with high unmet need for family planning and low use of modern contraceptives (see Table). Despite this, only about half of youth have favorable attitudes toward FP\/RH services.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Table. Key FP\/RH Indicators for Mali, <\/b>2018 DHS<\/b><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Barriers That Young People Face<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n
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Young people lack information and health services tailored to their specific needs. They are also living in a context marked by instability, poverty, unemployment, and violence, including gender-based violence, all of which increase vulnerability and limit the conditions and opportunities for their personal and professional development. A study published in 2020<\/a> on adolescent girls and young women in Mali revealed that lack of knowledge about contraception was a major obstacle to the use of these methods, as well as restrictive gender norms that strongly encourage fertility and limit the decision-making power of women, particularly young women. Additionally, the persistence of beliefs and myths about family planning, inadequate communication between parents and their children, and geographic and economic constraints also contribute to low contraceptive use.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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MOMENTUM\u2019s Intergenerational Dialogue Approach <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n
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While the country has made efforts to make family planning services accessible, available, and offered based on informed and voluntary choice, young people’s use of contraceptives remains low. For this reason, MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience<\/a> (MIHR), in collaboration with the government of Mali, is implementing demand creation and social behavior change interventions to promote positive attitudes and supportive cultural norms for family planning and related health services, particularly for youth. To this aim, MOMENTUM recruited four local organizations: the Malian Association for Sahel Survival<\/a> (AMSS), the Association for the Development of Community Initiatives in Sahel (ADIC Sahel, formerly known as the Association for Tangassane Development) in Timbuktu, the Reflection Group for Development Initiatives (GRIDev) in Gao, and Tassagth, also based in Gao. These organizations implement key FP\/RH demand creation interventions in the Timbuktu and Gao health districts, primarily to address the needs of adolescents and young people.<\/p>\n

With financial and technical support from MIHR, these organizations identified youth leaders across 38 health catchment areas to lead educational and intergenerational dialogues to address the negative effect of myths and stigma related to family planning. The youth leaders facilitate discussions with diverse groups of young people tackling issues such as:<\/p>\n