A comprehensive sexuality education program in Madagascar to reduce early pregnancies

According to the Madagascar Ministry of health, 32% of girls become pregnant before adulthood. These early and often unwanted pregnancies contribute to young women’s exclusion from education and work and keep them in poverty.

This points shows how difficult it is for young Malagasies to access sexual and reproductive health information and services.

The project designed by PJL is based on the principle that in-school comprehensive sexuality education effectively contributes to the adoption of healthy attitudes and behaviors and therefore to the prevention of early pregnancies. The organization has developed a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) program that is multi-component, led by a highly trained, specialized, dedicated and supported educator to promote behavior change and norms change among young adolescents in the school setting (public middle schools) over the duration of a school year. In partnership with the national Ministry of education, these specialized educators are integrated as members of the public-school personnel throughout the school year.

FID is supporting PJL, working in close partnership with the national Ministry of Education of Madagascar, to pilot the implementation of their CSE program by teacher-candidates in public rural middle schools.

The viability of this new CSE implementation model through the processes and systems of the public education sector in Madagascar is demonstrated.

• Adoption and appropriation of the comprehensive sexuality education program by future teachers
• Acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, and social cognitive behavioral determinants by young adolescents who have received the program in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and life skills
• Sustainable access to services and health resources