In Harper City, Maryland County, rural Liberia, 16-year-old Jappy Williams (name changed to protect privacy) is making significant strides for her future as a sixth-grade student. She lives with her parents in Harper. She is a regular beneficiary of family planning services at the Partners In Health-supported James Jenkins Dossen (JJD) Memorial Hospital Youth Friendly Center.
Jappy was first introduced to family planning services by a friend back in the 4th grade, when she was just 14 years old. Since enrolling at the JJD Youth Friendly Center, she has become known for her unwavering commitment, never missing an appointment for her birth control shots.
Lisa Dagadu, a service provider at the JJD Youth Friendly Center, commends Jappy for her dedication. “Jappy has been very regular since her enrollment. She always comes for her injectable birth control every three months,” Lisa said.
Determined to stay on track with her education, Jappy actively encourages her friends to take advantage of the free reproductive health commodities and family planning services available at the Youth Friendly Center. “I’ve been taking the family planning, and it has really been helping me, so I want to also help my friends by encouraging them to come here,” Jappy explained.
At the center, Jappy and her peers engage in activities such as games, movie time, and discussions, seeking guidance from midwives and trained service providers. She believes family planning is a crucial opportunity that empowers young people, especially adolescent girls, to reach their fullest potential.
PIH Liberia’s senior ASRH Officer, Elizabeth Wreh Sackor, CHP supervisor Amos B. Payne and nurse Nattie N. Nango work together during a data validation on family planning services, STI, Antenatal Care, Sexual Gender Base Violence (SGBV), and HIV counseling at J.J. Dossen Hospital Youth Friendly Center. Photo by Aminata Massalay / PIH
Thanks to funding from the Swedish Government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Partners In Health (PIH), and the Government of Liberia, eight Youth Friendly Centers have been established, along with support for six schools across six educational districts in Maryland County. These initiatives promote Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) through Health Clubs, effectively dismantling barriers to care and education. They provide adolescents, particularly girls, with the chance to stay healthy, remain in school, and realize their dreams.
At these Youth Friendly Centers, staff and volunteers are trained to provide free reproductive health commodities, education, and family planning services. This effort aims to reduce the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the county and the surrounding region.
Mary Toe (name changed to protect privacy), another young girl, frequently visits the JJD Youth Friendly Center to access family planning services. Also 16 years old, Mary is a seventh-grade student at a school in Harper. Like Jappy, she prioritizes her family planning refill process to maintain her education.
In Pleebo, Helen T. Toe, a service provider at the Pleebo Health Center’s Youth Friendly Center, shares the overwhelming demand for their services. “We often run out of space to accommodate the growing number of people who come for family planning commodities and other services every day. Sometimes, we serve over sixty individuals, mainly adolescent girls,” Helen stated.
“This place (Youth Friendly Center) is really helping us. I feel grateful for this opportunity,” said 16-year-old Cynthia, an eighth-grade student at a high school.
For Oretha, the Youth Friendly Center is a haven, providing access to vital information and services on family planning, STI prevention, and other health issues. At 20 years old, this tenth-grade student reflects on her positive experience after enrolling in family planning services three years ago.
Since 2018, the Youth Friendly Centers have effectively addressed the challenges facing adolescents, significantly decreasing the high rates of teenage pregnancy in Maryland and southeastern Liberia.
