A busy second year for the Yellen project!

A busy second year for the Yellen project!

In Mali, CECI is contributing to the transformation of unequal gender relations in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and adolescent girls.

The Yellen* project, Rights and Innovations in Sexual and Reproductive Health, is based on the assumption that increasing the decision-making power of women and adolescent girls is fundamental to providing a higher-quality health service that truly meets their needs.

The direct participation of women and adolescent girls to better control their own health will promote the provision of appropriate services, particularly with regard to gender-based violence (GBV) and family planning (FP). Through its activities, the project also aims to improve the leadership of regional institutions in the defense of sexual and reproductive health rights, the promotion of gender equality and the fight against GBV.

The project is now in its second year and many activities have been carried out! Indeed, multiple awareness sessions have been organized on the themes of family planning, danger signs for women and newborns during pregnancy, the support and involvement of men in monitoring their partner's pregnancy and the exercise of women's decision-making power in matters of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Nearly 57,000 men, women and adolescents have participated in these awareness sessions since the project began. 

The team of the project is very proud to have participated in the establishment of 29 communal committees for the orientation and follow-up of GBV and 4 committees of women who use health services in several health districts of Kayes. The transformational female leadership promoted in these committees favors the participation of women and adolescent girls in decision making, which is an essential lever for the redistribution of power to women. Gender equality, the abandonment of gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights are at the heart of these committees' actions.

During the months of November and December in 2021, the project was particularly active in the community of Diéma as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Various awareness-raising activities on the consequences of gender-based violence took place. Women, adolescents, men, community, religious and political leaders, members of the youth council and members of the women's service user committees (WUSC) took part in this initiative.

CECI would like to acknowledge the contribution of all the participants and collaborators in the project for this year rich in activities. The next few months will be just as important for the project because, in addition to training and awareness-raising activities, the project will begin the construction of 5 community health centers and 10 rehabilitations in the health districts of Diéma, Sagabari, Séféto and Yélimané.

For more information on the Yellen project

The Yellen project is being implemented by the CHUM-USI and CECI consortium with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

*The term Yellen means light in Bambara