Reflecting On: The FOUNDATIONS Project

Although the FOUNDATIONS Consortium project has been in place for just over three years, it is built on the foundations (see what we did there) of many previous projects – all of which gave us invaluable insights into the needs and wants of girls living in Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone. 

In particular, many of the previous projects focused on supporting girls after they were married or had given birth, which led us to develop a new project that would support girls in accessing and exercising their sexual and reproductive health and rights before they became pregnant. 

As we approach the end of year three of the FOUNDATIONS Consortium project, we wanted to look back on some of our successes from the past year and what they mean for the project’s future. 

Before we get into the results from year three, a reminder of the project’s goals: 

  1. Increased decision-making by adolescent girls on their sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) issues and the use of ASRH services; 
  2. Improved delivery of gender-responsive, adolescent-friendly and quality ASRH services for adolescent girls; and 
  3. Improved effectiveness of key stakeholders – particularly women & girls’ rights organizations and government decision-makers – to advocate for ASRH policies, legal frameworks and services. 

So how did we do in year three? 

In Mali, we: 

  • Supplied ASRHR-focused community engagement materials (including brochures, posters and communication tools) to health facilities and schools; 
  • Supplied 144 health centres with equipment, as part of biomedical waste management and infection prevention efforts; 
  • Conducted an analysis of gender equality across the country; 
  • Carried out community campaigns on international days of recognition, such as International Women’s Day, on the importance of gender equality; and 
  • Trained headmasters and teachers at community schools in the use of validated teaching tools and monitoring and supervision tools – as part of the promotion of reproductive health and gender equality. 

In Niger, we: 

  • Continued our training for students on reproductive health education; 
  • Ran sessions in 58 communities for out-of-school adolescents;  
  • Assessed ASRHR services and delivery in two communities; and 
  • Organized tours for adolescents of health centres, to meet with centre staff and learn more about the services available to them. 

In Sierra Leone, we: 

  • Completed major project procurement activities, in particular the supply of cold chain fridges for supporting an expanded immunization program in 15 health facilities; 
  • Identified and trained feminist groups for the development of national and regional adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) advocacy plans; 
  • Connected 14,847 adolescents (9,828 girls and 5,019 boys) to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services, through the mobile game application Mi bodi nar mi rayt (My Sexual Health and Rights);  
  • Renovated seven health facilities; and 
  • Facilitated the participation of 20,617 adolescents (11,230 girls and 9,387 boys) in health facility exchange visits, where they interacted with health workers to learn more about the sexual and reproductive health services available to them.

All that in just 12 months might seem like a lot but we knew we had set some ambitious goals for ourselves when we first started this project in 2021. We’re excited to see what results year four of the project will bring, and once again, we are so grateful to you all for joining us on our learning journey towards more empowered girls and young women in Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone. 

The FOUNDATIONS consortium, funded by Global Affairs Canada and in partnership with Sick Kids, Equipop, International Rescue Committee and the Overseas Development Institute, aims to strengthen adolescent girls’ empowerment regarding their sexual and reproductive health and rights in three countries—Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone.