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From 03 to 06 December 2019, as part of the implementation of the Menyumenyeshe project, Service Yezu Mwiza in collaboration with Care Burundi and the Ministry of Interior and Patriotic Training, organized exchange sessions and sensitization on effective communication on SRH for administrative, parents and young people.

These sessions were held throughout CARE's area of intervention as part of the Menyumenyeshe Project namely Gitega province, Muyinga, Kirundo, Kayanza, Cibitoke, Bubanza, Bujumbura and Bujumbura Mairie provinces.
The purpose of these sessions was to promote intergenerational dialogue so that the administrative and parents become aware through dialogue of the challenges that young people face in the community as far as SRH is concerned.

This meeting between the administrative, parents and young people to discuss young people's challenges to sexual and reproductive health was the first one. Young people expressed their joy at having had the unique opportunity to discuss with the administrative and parents issues that were considered taboo in Burundian culture. Then, they have made adults aware of what they are experiencing today and the challenges they are facing.
Intergenerational sessions organized in the area of intervention of joint program During these exchanges, the two parties (the administrative / parents and young people) recognized that there is a lack of dialogue and these young people pay the high price:
Thierry IRAKOZE, a 23-year-old boy living in Kabarore, Kayanza Province: "As young people, we need a clean framework in family to have information on SRH adapted to the age of each and every one. This will enable us to make right decisions about our sexual health and in a healthy environment. Some of the administrative and parents with whom we exchanged on this subject, did nothing to protect and supervise young people before. I think these workshops gave them an opportunity to get involved so that actions for the SSRAJ can be implemented. On my behalf, I have duty to invite other young people to be mobilized against challenges that haunt us but also to encourage them to attend as often as possible the youth centers that are functional at the level of municipalities and health centers which are offered to us as an opportunity to develop a responsible sexuality and fight against the life of debauchery. "
Facilitators of these workshops, meanwhile, have found that some of the administrative want to escape from their family responsibilities claiming that they are concerned for the safety of all people while their wives have to take care of the education of children.
Case of one of the Muyinga Province administrative "the country has only given me the task of ensuring the safety of my fellow citizens, my wife must take care of family matters including the education of our children." he laughs.

During these sessions, we noticed that the Joint Program has a solid foundation in the intervention area and its impact in the community will be sustained after the project (according to the interventions of the participants):
This is the case of Socio-Cultural Adviser of the Governor of Kirundo: "It is better to understand the feelings of children as they are, rather than to take directive approach because the needs of these children are totally different from ours. We have already noticed that parents who have followed SRH training, listen and communicate better with their children and discover a new kind of appreciation of children's needs towards parents, in a dialogue setting. From there, children are motivated to put these tips into practice because they were involved in its development. The reprimands and warnings almost disappear and I am convinced that the future of the country depends on the good socio-sanitary situation of families. "

These provincial sessions helped to strengthen effective communication between the local administration, the associations that support young people, parents and young people to get involved in the fight against unwanted pregnancies, gender-based violence and early marriage that is a source of conflict in the community.
It should be noted that at the end of these exchange sessions, the objectives were achieved because the administrative staff committed to integrate action plans for sexual and reproductive health of young people through the youth centers, and with the young people. And with Parents, they agreed to dedicate the day of Sunday to the dialogues with their children on the SRH and to use clear language in order to develop good affective relations between them and children.
Young people who were present at these sessions, they promised to call other young people to promote responsible sexuality and to regularly visit the youth-friendly health centers to acquire good information on the SRH to fight against non-sexual pregnancies, early marriages and sexually transmitted diseases.