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Ipas BURUNDI: A Media Alliance to Advance Trusted Reproductive Health Information

Ipas BURUNDI: A Media Alliance to Advance Trusted Reproductive Health Information

by | Oct 6, 2026 | Institutional News

In Burundi, reproductive health issues continue to be surrounded by taboos, misconceptions and, at times, misinformation. To help change this reality, broadcast and online journalists, together with communicators and digital influencers, have established the Alliance of Journalists and Communicators for Reproductive Health (AJC-SR). 

The initiative is rooted in a clear understanding: access to accurate, verified, balanced and evidence-based information is essential for people to make informed decisions about their health and lives. Yet reproductive health issues remain underreported and are sometimes presented through stereotypes or unverified information. 

Through this alliance, media professionals and influencers are bringing their skills and platforms together to improve public access to trusted reproductive health information.

The canadian delegation

Transforming the Way Reproductive Health Is Communicated 

Journalists have a central role to play. Through reporting, interviews, investigations, radio and television programs, and digital content, they can explain reproductive health issues, amplify the voices and experiences of those most affected, and connect audiences with safe and credible sources of information. 

Influencers can help make this information easier to understand and more accessible to diverse audiences by using formats and messages tailored to their needs. 

By combining their respective strengths, journalists, communicators and influencers can also help address rumors, misinformation and false narratives related to reproductive health.

Centering Women, Girls and Young People 

Women, girls and young people are at the heart of AJC-SR’s vision. 

For young people, access to accurate and age-appropriate information is particularly important as they navigate questions about their bodies, puberty and reproductive health. Without trusted sources of information, myths and misinformation can easily fill the gap. 

For women and girls, improved access to information can strengthen their understanding of reproductive health issues and support informed decisions about their health. 

AJC-SR therefore seeks not only to improve access to information, but also to ensure that the realities, experiences and concerns of women, girls and young people are better represented in public conversations.

Group of people in the DRC

Addressing Taboos Through Responsible Communication 

The Alliance also aims to help address the taboos surrounding reproductive health. 

Topics such as menstruation, contraception, fertility, sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy and sexual violence can still be difficult to discuss openly. Yet silence can create more space for rumors and misinformation. 

Addressing these taboos does not mean treating these issues casually. It means creating a media environment in which reproductive health can be discussed accurately, respectfully and ethically, based on verified information. 

Group of people in the DRC

Strengthening the Quality of Reproductive Health Information 

AJC-SR plans to strengthen the capacity of journalists and communicators, improve access to trusted sources, encourage the production of innovative content, and promote responsible media advocacy on reproductive health. 

The Alliance also seeks to foster experience-sharing among its members and establish partnerships with public institutions, civil society organizations, universities, technical and financial partners, and media organizations.  

Through this initiative, AJC-SR aims to make accurate information a meaningful tool for prevention and greater understanding. 

Its ambition is to contribute to a media environment in Burundi where reproductive health issues are addressed professionally, respectfully and without stigma. Through the work of AJC-SR, more people will be able to access credible information and make informed decisions about their health and lives. 

 By Linda BUSHASHA ,Coordinator of the Alliance of Journalists and Communicators for Reproductive Health (AJC-RH)

More Than a Race : Girls Breaking Barriers and Claiming Their Space

More Than a Race : Girls Breaking Barriers and Claiming Their Space

by | Sep 26, 2026 | Activities

At the fifth Congo Roller Sports Cup, a youth-led organization used sport to spark conversations about gender-based violence, contraception, and girls’ power to make decisions about their lives and futures. 

From August 28 to 30, 2026, the Stade des Martyrs hosted the fifth Congo Roller Sports Cup. For the third time, Ipas DRC supported the competition, which was organized with the backing of the Ministry of Sports through the Congolese Roller Sports Federation, FECOROLS.  

During the competition, Youth Sprint, a youth-led organization, conducted awareness-raising activities on gender-based violence and contraception with support from Ipas DRC. By engaging directly with athletes, young people, and spectators, its members created a space for information, listening, and open conversation about sexual and reproductive health and rights.  

The initiative was grounded in a simple conviction: spaces where young people come together, express themselves, and pursue their ambitions can also become spaces for prevention and social change. It also demonstrated the important role young people can play in informing their peers and leading change in their communities.

 

The canadian delegation

Barriers that extend beyond the track 

For many girls, participating in sport involves more than training or competing. It can also mean confronting prejudice, sexist comments, and social expectations that still seek to define what girls can do, which spaces they can occupy, and how far their ambitions should take them. 

Not all girls experience these barriers in the same way. Gender can combine with age, disability, economic hardship, or location, making it even more difficult to participate in sport or access information and health services. Some girls must therefore overcome several barriers before they even reach the starting line. 

Sport can reflect these inequalities, but it can also help challenge them. By taking their place on the track, girls affirm their ability to develop their talents, pursue their ambitions, and determine the direction of their own lives.  

Athlete Linda Kanku’s experience illustrates this reality. During long-distance races, she heard people tell her to “stay at home” or “go and cook.” These remarks show how gender stereotypes can undermine girls’ confidence and restrict their aspirations. They also reinforce the need to engage families, coaches, communities, and spectators in creating safer, more respectful, and inclusive sporting environments.  

“When a girl chooses sport, she is not challenging society. She is developing her talent, her health, her confidence, and her future.” 

said Linda Kanku. 

Women in DRC

Sport as a space for confidence and choice 

On the track, girls learn to recognize their abilities, push their limits, and believe in their potential. This confidence can also help them raise their voices, stand by their choices, and resist the pressures that seek to make decisions on their behalf. 

However, confidence alone is not enough if girls lack reliable information and services that respond to their needs. Supporting them to make decisions about their health and future also requires preventing violence, challenging discrimination, and improving access to clear sexual and reproductive health information. 

Through the awareness-raising sessions held during the competition, the young people mobilized by the organization spoke with participants about the different forms of gender-based violence. Violence can be physical, but it can also be verbal, psychological, or social, including through humiliation, intimidation, and prejudice that push some girls away from sporting spaces.  

The team also facilitated discussions on contraception. Access to reliable information about contraceptive methods and appropriate services can help young people protect their health, prevent unintended pregnancies, and continue their education, training, and plans for the future. Through these conversations, the organization’s members connected young people with useful resources while helping to break the silence surrounding sexual and reproductive health.  

By leading these discussions, the young people of Youth Sprint were not simply delivering messages to their peers. They were helping to create a space where young people could ask questions, learn about their rights, and reflect on the choices that shape their health and futures. 

Group of people in the DRC

Creating spaces where every girl can move forward 

Bringing together gender-based violence prevention and contraception makes it possible to address young people’s safety, health, and ability to make their own choices. A young athlete who is informed, supported, and protected is better positioned to pursue her goals and realize her full potential.  

Girls should not, however, carry the responsibility for change alone. Families, coaches, sporting federations, communities, and institutions all have a role to play in making sport an environment where no young person is excluded, humiliated, or exposed to violence. 

At the fifth Congo Roller Sports Cup, the awareness-raising activities led by young people from Youth Sprint, with support from Ipas DRC and in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and FECOROLS, showed that sport can be much more than competition. It can become a space where girls build confidence, learn about their rights, and connect with the resources they need to protect their health and pursue their ambitions.  

On the track and beyond, every girl should be able to claim her space, make her own choices, and shape her future free from violence, discrimination, and barriers. 

 

Group of people in the DRC

Writen by Lusangi Mankesi Bernetelle, intern at Ipas DRC and member of the Youth Sprint Coalition

When Information Opens Doors: Agnes’ Story of Inclusion and Choice

When Information Opens Doors: Agnes’ Story of Inclusion and Choice

by | Sep 24, 2026 | Stories of change

During the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC, a young girl with a hearing impairment gained access to sexual and reproductive health information tailored to her needs, demonstrating why inclusive communication is essential for informed choice and equal access to care.

For many adolescent girls, understanding their bodies, knowing their rights and accessing reliable sexual and reproductive health information is already a challenge. During the Ebola outbreak in Beni, that challenge became even greater for girls living with disabilities, who often faced additional barriers to accessing the information they needed to protect their health and well-being.

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Agnes is part of a generation of young people growing up amid overlapping public health and humanitarian crises. Like many girls with hearing impairments, she often felt left out. While much of the public attention was focused on the Ebola response, adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health needs did not disappear.

Information about menstrual health, personal hygiene, protection from violence and sexual and reproductive health services was not always available in formats that were accessible to her. Agnes knew that this information existed, but accessing and understanding it was not always easy.

The canadian delegation

That began to change when she participated in an activity organized by Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health with support from Ipas DRC through WISH2, a programme funded by the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). At a time when the Ebola outbreak was disrupting access to information and essential services across communities, the initiative aimed to ensure that adolescent girls living with disabilities were not left behind.

During the session, participants discussed menstrual health, personal hygiene and protection from violence. Through practical demonstrations and approaches tailored to their needs, Agnes was able to actively engage, ask questions and better understand topics that are often surrounded by silence and stigma.

For Agnes, the most significant outcome was not simply the information she received. It was the feeling of finally being seen.

“Today, I feel heard, valued and included. I know that I, too, have the right to information, care and protection. To me, that is what inclusion means: ensuring that no one is left behind, especially when it comes to our health and dignity.”

A member of the canadian delegation

Her story highlights an often-overlooked reality: access to information is a prerequisite for the power to choose. When adolescent girls cannot access information that is adapted to their age, circumstances or abilities, they face greater risks of unintended pregnancy, violence and exclusion from essential health services.

According to Christelle Ambiti, focal point for YARH-DRC in Beni, girls with hearing impairments continue to face significant challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services. In a context marked by the Ebola outbreak, unequal access to information and heightened vulnerability to violence, information itself becomes a critical form of protection.

She notes that five girls left school because of early and unintended pregnancies in the previous year alone. Behind those numbers are interrupted dreams, lost opportunities and young lives shaped by barriers to information and services.

For frontline teams, the solution goes beyond making services available. Information must also be accessible, understandable and responsive to the realities of every girl so that she can make informed decisions about her health and future.

Group of people in the DRC

Agnes’ story shows that inclusion often begins with something simple: making information accessible. Even during a public health emergency, adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health needs do not disappear. On the contrary, ensuring equitable access to information becomes even more important so that every girl can protect her health, stay in school and make informed decisions about her future.

Transforming Attitudes to Build Safer and More Inclusive Schools in the DRC

Transforming Attitudes to Build Safer and More Inclusive Schools in the DRC

by | May 15, 2026 | Activities

This blog was written by Habygaelle Muzie Kimbal Lombo, Patience Lisasi Lisika, and Nadia Lobo Jive (Ipas DRC).

This blog documents the process of developing a Values Clarification and Attitude Transformation (VCAT) training toolkit, highlights key lessons learned, and reflects on its relevance for initiatives supported by GPE KIX and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Inspired by Ipas’ Values Clarification and Attitude Transformation (VCAT) model—originally developed in 2000 to address stigma, attitudes, and beliefs related to abortion—this gender- and inclusion-responsive training toolkit is the result of a collaborative effort between Ipas DRC, Ipas Francophone Africa, and Ipas Global, in partnership with the Kinshasa School of Public Health and Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

Designed to support durable shifts in attitudes and practices among education system actors, the toolkit was developed as part of a research project funded by the Global Partnership for Education – Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).. It seeks to address gender-based violence (GBV) and discrimination in schools , while also making it possible to assess uptake and early effects.

Implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali, the project is embedded within a multi-country consortium that leverages youth-led solutions and digital technologies to promote safety and inclusion in schools. Particular attention is given to pregnant adolescents, adolescent mothers, and gender non-conforming students, informed by research evidence documenting the violence and discrimination they face.

Why focus on attitudes to prevent violence in schools?

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, gender-based violence (GBV) and discrimination in school settings remain widely normalized. Research conducted under the project—including surveys with 4,915 secondary school students—shows that the vast majority of students are exposed to multiple forms of violence. Specifically, 84% report experiencing bullying, 76% report being subjected to corporal punishment, and 67% indicate having been exposed to sexual violence in school settings. These practices disproportionately affect specific groups, including pregnant girls and adolescent mothers, students with disabilities, and gender non-conforming youth.

Beyond their immediate impact on students’ safety and wellbeing, such forms of violence undermine school retention and learning outcomes, while reinforcing pre-existing social and gender inequalities.

The limits of current institutional responses

Institutional responses to school-related GBV continue to rely primarily on regulatory frameworks, policies, and disciplinary sanctions. While these measures are essential, they remain insufficient when they fail to address the social norms, beliefs, and attitudes that shape everyday behaviors among teachers, school administrators, parents, and education authorities.

Yet these less tangible dimensions play a central role in the reproduction—or, conversely, the prevention—of violence and discrimination in schools.

In response to this gap, identified through research, Ipas and its partners developed a training toolkit grounded in the VCAT approach. By intentionally linking evidence, attitude transformation, and concrete practices for promoting safer and more inclusive schools, the toolkit creates structured spaces for individual and collective reflection. It enables participants to critically examine the values underlying educational practices, make their impacts visible, and initiate sustainable changes in attitudes.

Grounding adaptation in the realities of Congolese schools

Building on research conducted in secondary schools, the project undertook a deep methodological adaptation process. Findings highlighted several persistent trends: the continued use of corporal punishment, the normalization of psychological violence, stigma toward pregnant girls, the invisibility of students with disabilities, and targeted violence against gender non-conforming youth.

Based on this evidence, Ipas DRC and its partners carried out a critical review of existing VCAT tools to identify exercises most relevant to school settings. Four exercises were selected and contextualized—Comfort Zone Continuum, Four Corners, Why Did They Leave School?, and Crossing the Line—with content reformulated to reflect lived realities in the Congolese context.

A multidisciplinary and collaborative co-creation process

The development of the toolkit relied on a co-creation process involving Ipas DRC, Ipas Francophone Africa, and Ipas Global technical teams, alongside academic partners including the Kinshasa School of Public Health and Université Houphouët-Boigny.

The adaptation drew on Ipas methodological frameworks, national and international legal instruments on children’s rights, and resources produced by UNESCO and UNICEF. The process also underscored the limited availability of operational literature on school-related GBV, reinforcing the added value of the toolkit as a bridge between research and practice.

Measuring attitude change beyond activities

From the outset, the toolkit integrated an evaluation component through paired pre- and post-training tests designed to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes, and levels of engagement with issues related to gender, inclusion, and GBV.

This strengthens the toolkit’s credibility as a learning and knowledge capitalization tool, beyond its function as a training resource.

Building change agents within the education system

To foster long-term ownership and prepare for scale-up, the project adopted a training-of-trainers approach. Participants included representatives from the Ministries of Education and New Citizenship (life skills education division), Gender, Family and Children, and Health, Hygiene and Prevention (National Adolescent Health Program), as well as teachers, school leaders, and civil society actors, including organizations representing women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

For many participants, this was their first experience of a training approach centered on critically examining their own values, emotions, and professional practices.

Early effects and persistent resistance

Initial implementation revealed notable shifts: increased awareness of the violent nature of practices long perceived as normal, greater clarity around the roles of teachers and parent committees in violence prevention, and the emergence of school-based prevention and reporting mechanisms.

However, resistance persists—particularly regarding the abandonment of corporal punishment and the acceptance of gender non-conforming students—confirming that changing social norms is a gradual and non-linear process.

Key lessons for the GPE KIX community

This experience highlights several transferable lessons for the GPE KIX community :

  • the value of tools that explicitly link research evidence, attitudes, and institutional practices;
  • the effectiveness of participatory approaches for addressing sensitive issues;
  • the importance of embedding mechanisms to measure attitude change from the outset.

Next steps will focus on scaling up the toolkit, strengthening direct engagement with students, and anchoring safe and inclusive school approaches more sustainably within education policies.

A strategic lever for more inclusive education systems

For Ipas Global, Ipas Francophone Africa, Ipas DRC, and their academic partners, this toolkit represents a strategic lever for transforming education systems—placing dignity, inclusion, and the safety of every learner at the heart of action.