Learning about Living – Using cross-media technology to empower young people with reproductive health and life skills

Learning about Living (LaL) is OneWorld UK's programme on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), co-created with Butterfly Works Netherlands. Launched originally in Nigeria in 2007, LaL has since been implemented in Senegal, Morocco, Mali, Egypt and Cambodia. Learning about Living brings sexual and reproductive health information to young people through the channels they feel most comfortable with, to empower them to make informed decisions about their health. Over the past 8 years, OneWorld has partnered with local civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and government ministries in the different countries where the project has been implemented. These partnerships have shaped and improved the set of dynamic LaL components and ensured that it is appropriate for the local context and that the project is sustainable. For each project the different LaL components are mixed and matched to best meet the needs of young people in different countries, using available technology appropriately. The five main components are: A question and answer (Q&A) service; an interactive eLearning environment; radio programming; a dynamic website and social media platforms.

The question-and-answer (Q&A) service

Reading sexual and reproductive health information from BipInfoAdo, Senegal

Image by OneWorld

The question-and-answer service often lies at the heart of each LaL project. The Q&A platform allows young people to ask their questions on sexual and reproductive health and rights via SMS, email, a web platform and more recently Facebook. Counsellors, hired and managed by local civil society organisations, are trained in a gender sensitive and human rights framework to provide the users with accurate, non-judgmental and timely answers. The counsellors aim to reply to every question within 24 hours but often respond within an average of 6 hours depending on the number of questions. This innovative mhealth approach helps young people access the information they want, when they want it.

 "working as a counsellor on this service has made me realise that most adolescents have very poor knowledge on reproductive health issues [...] Sometimes I got very emotional when reading through the questions sent in by young people; however this made me more passionate" (Sylvia, Counsellor in Nigeria with Education as a Vaccine, Abuja)

"It's an opportunity to receive information on topics that are taboo and personal questions [...] Thanks to the answers, I understand better certain reactions of my body" (Young person, 24, Dakar, Senegal)

So far, across all Q&A platforms Learning about Living has received about 1.5 Million queries, most of them from mobile phones (95-99%). Two studies looking at the content of the messages in Nigeria and Senegal confirmed that the Q&A platforms respond to urgent needs for SRH information. While most young people are asking about factual information, the counsellors also help to clarify certain myths and misunderstandings and support young people in their relationships with others, while helping them take informed decisions.

Implemented in: Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Morocco, Egypt, Cambodia

eLearning platforms

Learning about Living in Senegal

Image by OneWorld

In the countries we work in, teachers often have a hard time discussing sexual health issues with their students. LaL's eLearning programme helps break down those barriers, allowing young people a safe space to engage with SRHR issues through the lessons delivered in an edutainment format with virtual peer educators guiding them through each lesson. Based on the concept of participatory learning, students learn by interacting with the issues - through educational games, role-plays, and other creative exercises. Each eLearning programme is tailored to the needs and realities of the country. We learn from previous experiences, but a custom curriculum is built for each country. The eLearning is led by Butterfly Works using their inclusive co-creation process. 

"This eLearning website is good; it enables the teachers to share the information especially related to sexual reproductive health that we as teachers can use indirectly with the students. We as male teachers if we teach by saying directly to the students about the SRH issues, it will lead to more complaints from the students' parents and the community" (Teacher, Cambodia).

"We reach puberty without much information. There are many things in my body that I did not know. Society makes us believe that we are superior to girls, but now I understand the relationships between peers better, there is no difference between boys and girls. The platform is useful for that." (Male Student, Mali)

In Nigeria, the eLearning platform was implemented in 500 schools reaching over 120.000 young people in 22 of the 36 states working alongside partners and the Federal Ministry of Education. Over 100.000 students in Senegal used the eLearning platform from 2012-2014, and about 20.000 young people in Mali have used the eLearning platform since 2013.

Implemented in: Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Cambodia

Radio

In Senegal and Mali, the LaL projects reached out to young people to create their own radio programmes and discuss sexual and reproductive health on community radio stations. In Senegal, radio programmes on themes such as self-esteem, safe motherhood and voluntary screening were broadcast across the 14 regions. In Mali, our partner Projet Jeunes works with LaL peer educators and SRH experts on a daily radio show covering topics such as drug use, sexuality, relationships with parents and the menstrual cycle. Every show receives 15-20 calls.

In Morocco, the LaL project locally known as Bila7araje, introduced a radio show "On t'écoute", with a medical doctor on the popular radio station HIT Radio. From an initial weekly show, the program popularly known as "Doc Samad" now appears on air five times a week, advising young people on sexual and reproductive health issues during a live broadcast. The "On t'écoute" programme attracts hundreds of thousands of listeners every week. The show also receives over 1,000 calls per day, in addition to 500 Facebook messages and 800 emails per broadcast.

Implemented in: Senegal, Mali, Morocco

Dynamic Website

Ma3looma: Learning about Living in Egypt

Image by Ma3looma

While all of the LaL projects have a website, the Egypt project known as 'Ma3looma', has a dynamic website as its central element. The project team produces new content every week covering sexual and reproductive health topics as well as some lifestyle and relationship advice. With 500,000 views and counting since its launch in May 2013, Ma3looma.net is one of the most popular Arabic sexual and reproductive health websites, reaching to some extent also, and populations in other Arabic-speaking countries.

Implemented in: Egypt

Social Media

Since the Learning about Living initial launch in 2007, social media have become more and more popular amongst young people, providing another fantastic opportunity to bring SRH content to youth in spaces where they are gathering.

In Egypt, Senegal and Nigeria, an active Facebook page brings important SRHR information to young people and engages them in discussions and competitions. Ma3looma Egypt also reaches out to young Egyptians via Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Ask.fm.

More recently OneWorld has worked on adding Facebook's private messaging function to the Q&A platform. Young people will be able to ask their questions through a private message to the projects' Facebook page and receive an answer from the counsellors directly to their inbox.

Implemented in Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal

OneWorld is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to bring sexual and reproductive health information to young people. If you want to discuss an idea with us, contact hello@oneworld.org.