Unsafe births can lead to devastating injuries and diseases for both mother and child. Prolonged, unattended births lead to obstetric fistula, maternal and neonatal infections, and neonatal respiratory distress. Furthermore, complications during pregnancy and childbirth is the number one cause of death for adolescent females, making reproductive health education and access to contraceptives life-saving tools.
Secondary School
Outreachs
Currently, there is limited inclusion of sexual and reproductive health in the school curriculum for boys and girls. Additionally, the lack of knowledge surrounding menstruation leads girls to experience stress, confusion, and embarrassment during menses. Our programming raises awareness, provides education, drives demand, and utilizes partnerships to link communities to existing services and resources.
Sanitary Pad Making Workshops
Our reusable sanitary pad workshops are included as a part of our secondary school curriculum. Girls are taught how to hand-sew and machine-sew reusable sanitary pads. Through this initative girls are encouraged to remain in school and successfully manage their menstrual health. This in turn, helps to increase their long-term opportunities for employment.
Community
Outreaches
Cognizant of the fact that many adolescents have already left school, we also bring our ARH programming into the communities to ensure that all youth receive information about relevant topics surrounding pregnancy, HIV/STIs, and contraceptives. To increase awareness of this program and engage participants, UVP hosts sports events surrounding the educational meetings. These events typically include question-and-answer sessions which we use to assess baseline knowledge and end with the winning team receiving a prize.
Read firsthand how youth in our communities are benefitting from our adolescent reproductive health program:
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Starting a Conversation about Menstruation
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A Pilot Program Takes to the Skies
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This Is My Turning Point