Sidwaya Newspaper Features IRH Program Officer and Tékponon Jikuagou

IRH’s Program Officer for Research: Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation, Mariam Diakite, MPH, MS, was featured in Sidwaya, a French language newspaper in Burkina Faso, following her presentation at the International Conference on Family Planning

In the interview, Diakite and the reporter discussed the Tékponon Jikuagou project’s work with men in Benin. In the local language of Adja, Tékponon Jikuagou means “doing everything possible to prevent infant mortality.” This includes using family planning to achieve healthy timing and spacing of births.

As Diakite explained, social networks and contexts have significant influence over couples’ decisions to use family planning. Taboos and a lack of information contribute to a high level of unmet need among married couples. “The results of our research has shown that people are embarrassed to discuss family planning,”  she said.

The Tékponon Jikuagou intervention identifies influential social groups in the community and organizes discussion groups for men to talk about the social-cultural factors that may keep them from using family planning. These well-connected individuals can then disseminate ideas throughout the community, ultimately creating an environment in which couples can openly discuss fertility and family planning.

Learn more about Tékponon Jikuagou.

Read the full article here.