Report by HAI and ABS Burundi | Download
In Burundi, adolescents have long been excluded from discussions about their own sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Furthermore, they have limited decision-making power over the type of sexual and reproductive health services and how they are delivered by the health system. This can have dire consequences for service utilisation and the health of our young populations, ultimately affecting all areas of life in our society, including school, work, family, and community.
This activity was undertaken by the Alliance Burundaise contre le SIDA et pour la promotion de la Santé (ABS) and Health Action International (HAI) under the Solutions for Supporting Healthy Adolescents and Rights Protection (SHARP) programme, funded by the European Union. Sixteen discussion facilitators, eight boys and eight girls, who were young people over 18 years old, received online training on how to moderate and conduct group discussions. During the training, the facilitators developed a list of questions to ask during the group discussions. The questions covered the following topics:
1. Understanding of SRH.
2. Knowledge of products and services offered in health facilities.
3. Motivations for accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services.
4. Experiences and challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services.
5. Influence and attitudes of opinion leaders.
6. Recommendations to improve adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health services.
A total of eight focus group discussions lasting 1 to 1.5 hours were conducted in Bururi, Makamba, Mwaro and Rutana provinces in Burundi. Participants were a diverse group of six to 16 young people, both girls and boys. The discussion facilitators worked in pairs: one focus group discussion with boys was moderated by two male facilitators, and one focus group discussion with girls by two female facilitators. The focus group discussions were recorded and anonymised. Participants’ consent was sought prior to the activity.
Download the report to find out more about the perspectives of adolescents on SRH in DRC.