Burkina FasoPsychosocial and medical care to young women

Young mothers with their babies which either have been forced into marriage or have been sexually abused recover physically and mentally in the outpost of our partner Keoogo and receive vocational training in order to become economically independent.

Facts & figures

  • Africa
  • Health
  • 2009
  • 12'000
  • Women and children

Our partner Keoogo is giving psychosocial and medical care to girls and young women. Furthermore they will be informed about health, baby care and their rights.

Thousands of girls and young women live with their children on the streets in the capital of Burkina Faso in the worst health and social conditions. These young women who for the most part are unable to read and write, are increasingly rejected by their families following an unwanted pregnancy (often resulting from rape); others are fleeing family (including sexual) violence, or, in order to get away from a forced marriage, they are going to the supposedly safer streets, where prostitution is, however, almost the only way of earning a living.

The girls and young women live with their children on the streets in the worst health and social conditions. As a result, they suffer from serious mental problems, while being at constant risk of HIV infection (the infection rate among street girls is around 13.2%) or other sexually transmitted diseases (the rate for this is 67%), and there is a risk of unwanted pregnancy (89% of street girls are already mothers, and 53% of the pregnancies were unwanted).

The girls and young women are given psychosocial and medical care by our partner, Keoogo, and receive information on health, baby care and their rights. Furthermore, the young women are placed on traineeships under proper terms of employment, so their children will have a better future.

Impressions

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