To improve access to health services for young people living with disabilities, health professionals from the Keur Massar and Guédiawaye health districts were trained in sign language as part of the USAID Urban Health program. According to the press release of January 10, 2025, this initiative aims to provide better accessibility to health services for this “juvenile” and “vulnerable” population group.
This project, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented in partnership with PATH, also targets “teen/youth peer educators, social workers and other community stakeholders,” we read in the note. The main objective is to encourage “access to information for informed decision-making” and to combat risky behavior, particularly in matters of reproductive health,” the press release specifies. Also, the Network of Associations for Community Well-Being (RABEC), which benefits from this program, acts through a project focused on “education in reproductive health for young people with little or no literacy and those living with a disability.” The latter plans to reach “500 teenagers/young people with little or no literacy, including 100 with disabilities”, as well as “100 educators and local stakeholders, parents and guardians, health professionals and community partners”. He added that the adaptation of educational content for young people with hearing impairments and their active participation are among the priorities of the project. “Sign language constitutes an essential tool to promote this inclusion”, specifies the press release. Furthermore, this approach is part of a broader dynamic of strengthening urban health systems in Senegal, “The investment of USAID/Senegal through the USAID Urban Health program offers an opportunity to improve equity in health matters in the Dakar region, particularly in the target districts of interventions which are Keur Massar, Yeumbeul and Guédiawaye” explains the note. In addition, the USAID Urban Health program places particular emphasis on the co-construction of innovative solutions with local communities.
As a reminder, the USAID Urban Health innovation sub-grants program supports the co-construction of community mechanisms driven by innovative solutions to improve the local health system in the Dakar region. Thus, it mobilizes the private sector, local authorities and civil society organizations to improve health services and reduce health inequalities in Dakar, in partnership with the Dakar Regional Health Directorate, the PATH consortium , Action and Development (AcDev), Alliance of the Private Health Sector in Senegal (APSPS) among others. Enda santé supports key stakeholders to rethink the urban health ecosystem and improve the health status of the populations of the districts of Keur Massar, Guédiawaye and Yeumbeul. With this initiative, USAID reaffirms its commitment to “strengthening local urban health systems” and promoting health equity, in partnership with health authorities and community stakeholders.
SOPHIA MANGA (TRAINEE)
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