With support from the MAMA network, VIAC is able to organize a good number of community interventions and research on access to SRHR information specifically on safe abortion and self-managed abortions in Cameroon. Using various techniques and strategies in community interventions, we are able to design and organize age appropriate programs targeting different age groups within our program scope.   As a means to talk about self managed and safe abortion with pills in our setting (restrictive) we have organize seventeen (17) community outreach, held six (06) safe spaces with adolescent girls and young women, four (04) sessions with persons with disabilities and seven (07) sessions with internally displaced persons (women) in the past five months.

How we organise

Our entry points have always been sexual health education, menstrual hygiene management, contraceptives including male and female condoms and access to safe abortion information. These outreaches involved parents, whereby Vision in Action (VIAC) advocated for access to sexual reproductive health for adolescents.

In our safe space discussion with adolescent girls and young women, we reached out to 88 AGYW in our safe space initiative. Through our sessions, we are able to create and enabling environment for them to share their stories and find empathy within the group there by reducing abortion stigma, increasing confidence and self-esteem, and clarifying myth on self managed abortion while sharing information on the hotline.

Working with PWD

An attained milestone for the organization is our work with girls and women with disabilities; we organize four sessions reaching out to 52 girls and women with disabilities in the region. It was amazing to see and know the needs for women with disabilities, how different the needs are and to say the least, how impactful was our session. Ranging from talking about safe abortion, contraceptives and menstrual health, it was very excited for them to know abortion self-managed abortion using pills and lining them to our pharmacy network.  

It’s worth highlighting that, the outcome of these activities in rural and urban areas varied as people in the rural areas had so many myths about contraceptives and sex education, highlighting stigmatization and fear of promiscuity as one of the reasons for the lack of sex education for adolescents.  In urban areas, there were a lot of misconceptions of contraceptive use. Many people attributed usage of contraceptives (except condoms) to infertility.

Impacts

At the end of these community outreaches, a positive impact was created as they stop believing myths associated to sexual reproductive health, thus their interest grew over time as an overwhelming number of people contacted the hotline to get more information on their sexual reproductive health. Because parents of adolescents gained knowledge on the importance of sexual reproductive health, after the session, parents talked about sex education with their children. Moreover, we were called back by the parents of some communities as they gave us the opportunity to talk about contraceptives, safe abortions and sex education with adolescents. This created a free atmosphere for these children to discuss issues of their sexuality without being reproached.

Pharmacy coaching in the community

Moreover, Vision in Action Cameroon mapped out pharmacies in different communities in Buea. In order to enhance the access to sexual reproductive health information and services among girls and women in Cameroon, the mapping was set out to strengthen the technical capacity of service providers on self-managed abortion with the use of misoprostol and mifepristone. Knowledge and practice of service providers on medical abortion with the use of pills were tested as well as the procedures and any possible complications recorded. As a result of this mapping, pharmacists in communities were identified and mapped out for referrals on safe managed abortions with pills. This will ease identification of outlets for safe abortion services in the community. Other pharmacists highlighted their interest in the provision of the service as they were sure on the right procedure. This has therefore increased the number of service providers of medical abortion in communities with quality knowledge on the procedures.

Working with Sex workers

Vision in Action also mapped out and visited hot spots for sex workers. Sex work is not a legalized business in Cameroon contributing to limited access to information and services. Often associated with immorality, this group of people who try to earn a living are stigmatized, neglected and become vulnerable to STIs. Several activities were carried out with these sex workers which incorporated safe space discussions. In these safe space discussions, sex workers were informed on; contraceptive use, STIs, and self-managed abortions with the use of pills (misoprostol and mifepristone) to enable them take care of themselves and prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs. Thus, there has been an increase use of contraceptives as the number of sex workers who demand for contraceptives during our outreaches has increased from 5 to 37. Moreover more sex workers are now aware of the procedures for self-managed abortion.