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Service Yezu Mwiza, in collaboration with GIZ/Health, supports the Health Districts of Muramvya and Kiganda in the implementation of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) project, in the implementation of the Burundian Government's policy aimed at improving the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and youth through the community networking approach.

It is in this perspective that a supervision of the activities was organized in the 10 networks grouped around Health centers Friends of young people namely: Bugarama, Giko, Rweza, Muramvya, Teza, Kaniga, Marumane, Munyinya, Kivoga and Rugari.
According to SYM's Projects and Programs Coordinator, Alain Christy ININAHAZWE SJ, the main objective of this visit was to meet with local administrative authorities, heads of health districts, Parish Priests and communal education directors (DCE), to collect their impressions of the activities carried out in their areas of responsibility. Also, the goal was to know what SYM in collaboration with GIZ/Health could rectify or improve in the implementation of this project through community networking. It was also an opportunity to participate in quarterly meetings of key actors (members of the network committees) to exchange on the achievements as well as the challenges that hinder the success of the project.

The testimonies collected show that the members of those networks really took matters into their own hands by making this project their own:

“Notable changes have been observed in the behavior of our youth, especially among our young girls. The rate of unwanted pregnancies has significantly decreased in schools. We have practically no more such cases in some of our schools, and this is due to the members of the networks set up by Service Yezu Mwiza in collaboration with GIZ/health in the implementation of the SRHR project. They are working in synergy in schools, communities and Youth- Friendly Health Centres to ensure that youth in our province have correct and complete information on sexual and reproductive health,” said Ms. Noëlla NGERAGEZE, DCE Bukeye during the quarterly meeting at TEZA network.

“The establishment of health clubs in schools has greatly influenced our behavior, the beginning was not easy because most students found it ridiculous, but gradually we began to like these lessons and it has had only positive impacts because we have completely changed our way of thinking and acting. We are very grateful to the animators who, despite their multiple occupations, agree to sacrifice themselves outside of school hours to help us have access to correct and complete information on SRH” added the representative of young people in school in MUNYINYA network.

Distribution of television sets and loudspeakers to community networks

During this supervision, Service Yezu Mwiza, in collaboration with GIZ/Health, granted television sets and loudspeakers to the 10 socio-community networks in order to strengthen their teaching materials used during their activities.
“We took the opportunity to distribute TV sets and loudspeakers to Youth-Friendly Health Centre to support network activities, especially during awareness-raising in the community or in schools. The television sets will help the person in charge of supervising young people and adolescents who have come to Youth-Friendly Health Centre for the correct and complete information from the SRH, to show some images or videos to better explain to these young people.” Explains Alain Christy ININAHAZWE, SJ, coordinator of projects and programs.

The coordinator of projects and programs at SYM also said: “In the coming days, we plan to support networks that will organize school competitions to evaluate students on their level of understanding of SRH information given by school facilitators.”
“There will also be sensitizations in the Batwa community (ABATERAMBERE) so that they too have access to correct and complete SRH information in addition to the routine sensitizations done by the animators in the community. Capacity building is also planned to help members of these networks to be more effective in their tasks,” he concludes.

Note that SRHR project is implemented in only 3 provinces of Burundi, namely Muramvya, Mwaro and part of Gitega province, with a particular focus on socio-community networking. The implementing partners in these provinces are Service Yezu Mwiza, Burundi Red Cross, and FVS-Amie des Enfants respectively.