Community intervention on sexual and reproductive rights and gender violence in Dakar, Senegal.Funded by Terrassa City Council.

The project “Strengthening Capacities and Institutional and Community Participation in Relation to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRR) in the departments of Pikine and Guédiawaye (Dakar, Senegal)” aims to enhance sexual and reproductive health and prevent GBV in 5 communities on the outskirts of Dakar, through the leadership of 5 young women from these same communities.

This is a cooperation project driven and led by the Fundación Salud y Comunidad (FSC) with the collaboration of the Young United for Democracy, Citizenship, Leadership, and Gender (JEUNEDEV) association of Senegal, the local counterpart, and funded by the Department of Solidarity and International Cooperation of the Terrassa City Council.

The different actions of the project (2020/21) are:

1. A contextual study to determine the 5 communities and the 5 young female leaders;
2. Training these five young female leaders in Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRR), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), participation, and social entrepreneurship;
3. Once trained, these young women will lead the strengthening of the capacities of their communities in terms of SRR / GBV through the following actions:a) Training 500 children on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early/forced marriages;

   b) Training 2,500 women in SRR/GBV and social entrepreneurship;

   c) Training 2,500 men in SRR/GBV and co-responsibility in reproductive tasks;

   d) Training 50 health professionals in the detection and referral of women and girls who are victims/survivors of GBV;

   e) Training 50 political and religious authorities in SRR/GBV through an exchange seminar between communities.

Finally, a Community Committee is expected to analyze and promote different initiatives related to SRR/GBV within the communities with the support of local authorities.

During the same period of the cooperation project, the Fundación Salud y Comunidad is also carrying out an Awareness Program on violence against women in Senegal within the framework of a Development Education (EpD) project, awareness-raising, and political advocacy in Terrassa (Barcelona).