Being an adolescent anywhere is challenging. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where adolescents have some of the world’s highest rates of HIV infection, unintended teenage pregnancy, and intimate partner violence.
In Tanzania, for instance, around 60% of teen girls are sexually active by 18. Less than 10% of girls aged 15 to 19 use any type of modern contraceptive. A staggering one in three 15-to-24-year-olds will experience intimate partner violence.
There have been decades of public health interventions and research in sub-Saharan African countries. But we still have a lot to learn about how to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Most traditional family planning and sexual and reproductive health programs target married adults or older individuals, and often focus on females exclusively.
In our recent research we set out to identify interventions that would improve the sexual and reproductive health of girls and young women aged 11 to 22. We partnered with BRAC, an international development organization operating in 11 countries including Tanzania.
(SOURCE:https://bit.ly/3oOX22s)
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