Réseau des Femmes’ Revolutionary 5-Year Project Unveiled for Comprehensive Reproductive Health Education!

BY Isabella Iradukunda Elisabeth

The Réseau des Femmes has launched a five-year project aimed at educating young people about reproductive health, bodily functions, and their appropriate usage at the appropriate time.

Santé et Droits Sexuels et Reproductifs/SDSR-Rwanda is a project of Réseau des Femmes, in collaboration with AMIE Canada and with the support of Global Affairs Canada. The project was officially launched on Friday, 03/11/2023, in Gasabo District, in the city of Kigali. Its main focus is on educating youth aged 10-24 and their parents, as it was discovered that some parents are reluctant to provide information about reproductive health.

Uwimana Xaverine, the Legal Representative of the Réseau des Femmes, stated that this project will address the issue of young people lacking information regarding reproductive health, leading them to engage in unprotected sexual activities. The project aims to assist girls who have been victims of abuse but are unaware of where to seek services to prevent early pregnancies or the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Additionally, parents will be trained to effectively communicate relevant information about reproductive health to their children.

Uwimana concluded by stating that they anticipate positive outcomes from the discussions led by the youth group known as Pairs Educateur. This is because they have received sufficient training on reproductive health.

Some young people say that not having enough information about reproductive health has a serious impact on their lives and they give birth prematurely and get infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

Mutuyimana Deborah from Gisozi Sector, who had the opportunity to be trained by Reseau des Femmes on reproductive health and is one of those helping to train others, says that the reason for not knowing real information about reproductive health comes from parents who are shy to talk to their children.

She said, “Primarily, the lack of information regarding reproductive health is caused by certain parents who feel ashamed to discuss it with their children, and also find that the mother is hesitant to mention specific parts of the body. This could be related to sexual matters, which prompts the child to seek advice from friends, leading to the reception of incorrect information.”

The District Executive Administrator of Gasabo District, Umwali Pauline, stated that the Health and Sexual and Reproductive Rights/SDSR-Rwanda project aims to prevent premature pregnancies among children, reduce school dropouts, address the crisis prevalent among young people and domestic conflicts, and educate prostitutes in Gasabo District on avoiding sexually transmitted diseases. The project also aims to encourage them to abandon these negative behaviors.

They have established a toll-free number, 8011, for individuals seeking information on reproductive health.