November 28, 2018
In Her Words: Gender Based Violence In CAR
Doctors of the World has been active in Ivory Coast since 2011, strengthening access to sexual and reproductive care for young people and working on harm reduction with drug users in Abidjan.
30%
Of 15-19 year olds have had their first child
44,398
Condoms distributed
907
Free HIV tests conducted
For young people in Ivory Coast, there are multiple barriers that prevent them from accessing quality healthcare.
Healthcare legislation restricts access to safe abortions and family planning services are severely underfunded. As a result, only 14% of adolescents in the country use contraception and 30% of 15-19 year olds have already had a child. Many teenagers who are unable to care for a child end up resorting to unsafe and dangerous abortions. Doctors of the World currently supports 45 healthcare centers in 3 districts where we provide free healthcare for pregnant women and children under 5 years old.
We also work to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health within communities. Government health services directed towards young people often do not address their needs, are unaffordable, and social stigma often prevents adolescents from accessing them. In order to address these barriers we distributed 44,398 free condoms, and carried out 907 free HIV tests in 2016.
