Groups advocate improved healthcare for adolescents in slums

The USAID Youth-Powered Ecosystem to Advance Urban Adolescent Health (YPE4AH) and Lagos State government have emphasised the need to improve the health and wellbeing of out-of-school adolescents in urban slums.
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Speaking during the USAID YPE4AH TEENSMATA campaign launch tagged: ‘Shine Well Well,’ yesterday, in Lagos, the Chief of Party, USAID YPE4AH, Boladale Akin-Kolapo, emphasised the need to improve the skills of the youths for healthy living and future planning.
  
Akin-Kolapo, represented by Daini Babajide, added that fostering an enabling social and policy environment for adolescent health and development is paramount in achieving a healthy community.
  
USAID YPE4AH is a five-year programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), being implemented in Lagos and Kano by DAI in partnership with the Nigerian government, Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI), Women Friendly Initiative (WFI), Yellow Brick Road (YBR), and Grassroot Soccer (GRS).
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The Director of Strategy, Yellow Brick Road, Carol Ofem, said: “At an interpersonal level, the campaign aims to cause shifts in mindsets or perceptions to provide adolescents and parents/caregivers with the tools and language to have open and honest conversations about sex and sexual health.
 
“At the community level, the campaign will work to ensure that healthcare providers within the ecosystem are trained to provide youth-friendly counselling and services. The Social and Behaviour Communication (SBC) campaign aims to also achieve a change in the attitude of influencers (parents, caregivers, community leaders, religious leaders and trade masters).
  
She added that the SBC Campaign would provide adolescents with accurate Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) information and fosters an environment of open dialogue, where they can seek information and services without fear.
  
“Adolescents will be empowered to make informed decisions about their health and be better able to protect themselves. SBC campaigns will also target parents and caregivers to ensure they are empowered and given the required knowledge to provide accurate and adequate information on SRH Gender Based-Violence and substance abuse to their children to help/support them adopt positive behaviour conducive for healthy living.”
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