Sexual and Reproductive Health: Iprosarude, in preparation for responsible future parenthood

To increase contraceptive use, young people need to be educated about healthy and responsible sexuality. For this reason, Iprosarude has set up youth-friendly health centers, as part of the joint Menyumenyeshe program, to familiarize young people with reproductive health and family planning.

 Early pregnancies among young people and adolescents are a reality in schools, and the contraceptive prevalence rate remains low in Burundi, at 34.3% according to the PNSR. As a result, the demography remains galloping.

For Iprosarude, young people must be informed before it is too late

According to Hawa Irafasha, head of the youth-friendly health center of Buseruko II, Mabayi health district in the province of Cibitoke, set up by Iprosarude, says that for the success of reproductive health, everything must be prepared in advance and especially among young people who are also future relatives. “Here we take a lot of care of the young people. We meet them in their schools to talk to them about sex education, but also about the use of contraceptive methods, to show them the danger of early marriage and sexually transmitted diseases. We organize awareness and listening sessions in one of the rooms of the youth-friendly health center . It’s to put them at ease and allow them to ask any question related to sexuality,” and we are well equipped because we have benefited from a lot of capacity building sessions by Iprosarude agents,” explains Ms. Irafasha. She informs that for the moment the young people are comfortable. They can even ask a nurse for advice if they are in doubt and even ask for condoms to protect themselves if they need them. The best thing would be for the youth to reserve until the day of the wedding. But instead of losing them, it is better to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

She points out that last November alone, at the youth-friendly health center in Buseruko II, 215 young people were listened to and counseled, 531 were sensitized on reproductive health and 57 were tested.

However, Claudine Mufafara, project manager of the joint Menyumenyeshe program for Iprosarude, asks parents to break taboos and encourage communication with their children to talk about sexuality. For her, it is better to inform them in time before it is too late to do so.