By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
FREETOWN, Sep. 28 (232News) –The Young People Advocacy Network (YPAN) joined the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s World Contraceptive Day with Girls Conneckt Africa.
The World Contraceptive Day is marked on September 26th every year, the day is observed to recognize the important of family planning all over the world. The day was set aside by the united nation with the goal to increase contraceptive service and knowledge, address SRHR needs of poor and marginalized groups of people including adolescents and people living with disabilities. It’s on this backdrop the young people advocacy network and its partners Ipas African Alliance and Planned Parenthood Association of Sierra Leone engaged the disability committee in several communities in Western Area Urban.
The program is designed to provide civic education on Sexual Reproductive Health and Right and Sexual Gender Base Violence, the Chief Executive Office for Girls Conneckt Africa, Miss, Habiba, a health practitioner thank YPAN and its partners to commemorate this year’s world contraceptive. ‘’Contraceptive for both men and women should be accessible and men should be able to use condom as a preventive means of HIV/AID, STDs and to prevent unwanted pregnancy, BY 2030 we want to have a society free from sexual gender base violence, rape, teenage pregnancy, child prostitution and zero HIV/ AID infection specially among people living with disabilities’’
The Leader and Founder of the Young People Advocacy Network, Mohamed Kunta said the campaign is to empower and support people who leave in poor and deprive communities with contraceptive commodities to make inform decision about their reproductive health. The sessions will help to address the stigma and marginalization’s associated to people living with disabilities and enhances their knowledge on SRHR and SGBV Education. According to UNFPA, 218 Million women and girls in low and middle income countries who want to delay or avoid pregnancy lack access to modern contraceptive. Contraceptive enable women and adolescent girls to exercise their right to decide whether to be pregnant, the number and spacing of their children, it improve the socioeconomic opportunities for women and open educational opportunities for adolescent girls.
