The Role of Media in SRH Advocacy: The Perspective of Adolescents

Adolescents aged 10–19 years currently make up about 16% of the world’s population – of the 7.9 billion people worldwide, 1.3 billion are adolescents.

According to the World Health Organization , adolescents face numerous challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services. Thus media plays a crucial role in shaping perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours related to SRH among young people. In light of the SHARP project EANNASO in collaboration with other partners under the Solutions for Supporting Healthy Adolescents and Rights Protection (SHARP) project funded by the European Union , will be hosting a one-hour cross-discussion on 23rd May 2024 at 8:00 PM EAT.

This one-hour discussion will explore the role of media in SRH advocacy from the perspective of adolescents, aiming to amplify youth voices and address their unique needs and concerns. The SHARP project has identified mass and social media are key champions in addressing accessibility, availability, affordability and quality SRH services and commodities for #adolescents in the Great Lakes Region. The project is being implemented in #6 countries #Kenya, #Tanzania, #Rwanda, #Burundi, #DRC Congo, and #Zambia. The partners are Faith to Action Network Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) @MEDRAP @CAFCO RDC, @ABS Burundi and EANNASO under the support of Health Action International

The partners have researched the available adolescent-friendly services and commodities available in different regions of the countries the project is implemented and this can be accessed through the Health Action International (HAI) website by clicking here. According to HAI, "Even before the pandemic, research by Health Action International (HAI) showed that the availability of SRH commodities in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia was poor, at less than 50%."

The session will feature interactive panel discussions and oral presentations to engage participants and facilitate knowledge exchange. The target audience will vary from Media professionals (journalists, broadcasters, social media influencers), Youth advocates and activists, SRH educators and practitioners, Policymakers and stakeholders in adolescent health and adolescents.

The session will address the below three areas:

Part 1: Understanding the Impact of Media on Adolescent SRH

Part 2: Innovative Media Strategies for SRH Advocacy

Part 3: Harnessing Social Media for Youth-led Advocacy

The expected outcomes of the discussions include increased awareness of the role of media in shaping adolescent SRH outcomes, identification of effective media strategies for reaching and engaging adolescents in SRH advocacy, development of recommendations for enhancing media advocacy efforts to better address the SRH needs of adolescents, and strengthened partnerships between media, youth, and SRH organizations to advance adolescent SRH rights and access.

Join us as Walter Nyambaga moderates this discussion and get to hear more from CHIPILI MAKASA Patience Mumbi Chanda Doris Kathia @Roland Malaba @francine Ndihokubwayo and Rameck Gisanintwari

Use the hashtag #healthyadolescents #afyayetuhakiyetu while posting the same. See you during the space.