When a group of young women took on the challenge of promoting sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among their peers in Montepuez, Cabo Delgado province, they could not have imagined the impact they would have on their communities:
"I remember that in the beginning, some parents and guardians thought that we were encouraging their daughters to choose the wrong path," said 26-year-old Celia Calisto.
Alima Rachid Bacar (aged 21) adds: "Nowadays, parents and guardians thank us for the choices made by their daughters, because they understand that they should focus on their studies and prevent unwanted pregnancies and early marriages.”
Celia and Alima were trained as mentors under the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) program, My Choice, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Alongside hundreds of other young women, Celia and Alima were trained to lead community dialogues with youth to raise awareness on issues linked to SRH, gender-based violence (GBV) and women’s and girls’ empowerment.
These mentorship sessions are critical, as the northern provinces in Mozambique register the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy and maternal mortality in the country, alongside the lowest rate of contraceptive use (at just one in five).
The program, which ended in December 2022, aimed to reduce unwanted pregnancies among adolescent girls and young women through universal access to family planning and SRH services in Tete and Cabo Delgado provinces. To achieve this, the program focused on increasing the availability of family planning commodities, mentoring girls and young women to improve their knowledge and access to information about SRHR and ensure the availability of services in youth-friendly spaces (YFS) and mobile services.
In Cabo Delgado, for example, more than 129,600 adolescents and young people were reached by mobile brigades - medical teams that travel to remote and isolated areas to deliver services - and through community health workers, reaching more than quadruple the number of people.
The drastic increase in the number of beneficiaries resulted from a large influx of internally displaced persons to program districts following attacks in northern districts of the province, disrupting continuity of social services and increasing demand for adolescent SRHR and family planning services.
Within a province that has experienced an increase of violence and insecurity, mentors play a key role in helping young women and adolescent girls to make informed and empowered choices about their health, bodily autonomy, and future.
“We helped girls make the best choice of their lives”
Estefânia did not hide her pride when she explained her role in preventing unwanted and premature pregnancies. "There was a lot of limited information and myths around contraceptive use among the girls, but today they are more aware of their sexual and reproductive rights and I have referred them to the youth-friendly [spaces]," she commented.
From October to December 2022, the program supported more than 3,000 youth to visit youth-friendly health services throughout Cabo Delgado.
“My task is to reduce early pregnancies in my village”
The work of female mentors is complemented by community health workers, activists and community leadership (traditional and religious leaders and other local influencers), such as that of José Francisco, a village headman from Natite in Cabo Delgado. José received training to educate the community about the SRHR of women and girls and ways to eliminate GBV.
With the support of implementing partners, José leads door-to-door awareness campaigns and conducts talks in markets, fairs, churches and mosques. "All adult men are informed and aware of the consequences of getting involved with underage girls," he said. "Whoever disrespects this, in addition to referring them to the appropriate authorities, [they] are required to leave our village".
This sentiment is supported by Albertina Pentane, a respected, influential community elder, who explained that in the past, women and girls did not frequent health centers, much less use any contraceptive methods, but thanks to the My Choice project, the scenario has changed. "We see fewer reports of early and unwanted pregnancies, because both women and girls are aware and have decided to use family planning," she said.
UNFPA is committed to supporting the Government of Mozambique, through projects financed by development partners such as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, that allow the most vulnerable women, girls and youth to gain access to sexual and reproductive health services in even the most remote areas.
Using local influencers like mentors, community leaders and community health workers, these projects contribute to the reduction of early and unwanted pregnancies, making steadfast progress towards achieving the three transformative results of zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices in Mozambique.
