The International Conference on Family Planning

Every time I begin a blog entry, I seem to apologize for not having written in a long time and then justify it by the fact that so much has happened in the past few weeks that I had no time to process it, let alone write about it. Well that is also true this time around. This may just become my pattern, as incredible things just seem to keep on happening!

Before the conference even started, MAJ along with 11 other Senegalese youth organizations planned and held a walk for greater youth access to family planning services. I was incredibly proud of MAJ’s ability to organize and mobilize the over 300 youth that participated in the march, and I think it was also a very good opportunity for these organizations to network among themselves and decide how they could work together on future programs and endeavors.

What was completely wonderful of ASBEF was that they let me come along to the actual conference as one of the 50 Senegalese youth participants, so I had the opportunity to attend all of the sessions as well as take part in youth activities. I had a badge that said my name and that I came from Senegal (which got a lot of strange looks when I was walking around speaking very American English), but I was very proud to be there representing ASBEF and the youth of MAJ. I also felt lucky that, for once, I had a definitive skill that I could use to help promote MAJ and their activities. Many of the conference participants came from American organizations and NGOs, so this was a chance for me to do as much PR as I could for MAJ youth in English, and within the channels of American professionalism.

The conference was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as Johns Hopkins School of Health, among other partners. It brought together family planning professionals from around the world to present their research, programs, and technology to their peers, and was also an excellent means for Senegal and Senegalese family planning programs to be highlighted. The conference had a deliberate youth focus, with 4 young people from West Africa chosen to speak at the opening and closing addresses – one of whom was the President of the MAJ club in St. Louis (the second largest city in Senegal). The ASBEF/MAJ family was incredibly proud. MAJ youth attended sessions as well as got involved with specific activities for youth, notably a political dialogue between youth participants and the First Ladies of Sénégal, Mozambique, and Namibia to come up with constructive demands for policy change relating to youth and their reproductive and family planning rights. 

For me personally, the conference was like Family Planning Christmas. There was an overwhelming number of sessions, posters, abstracts and presentations that interested me, not to mention the over 2000+ participants themselves who came from all over the world to network and share with their fellow professionals. There were information stands from represented organizations, and I took almost everything they had to offer – which now means that a small corner of my room is being renovated into a family planning library. Let me know if you need any information! 

Here are some pictures from the Pre-Conference and Conference activities.

Getting ready for the walk. The sign reads, "Adolescent and Youth Access for Reproductive Health Services."

Beginning the walk from the Place de l'Obèlisque (pictured in the background). The walk was probably about 2 km long, going down one of the main roads leading to downtown, and ending at the large RTS Senegalese TV station downtown.

MAJ members and I gearing up for the walk!

My personal favorite of the posters and signs. I carried this around with me during the walk when I wasn't taking pictures.

This slogan became the theme for youth throughout the conference. It reads "Your life, your rights, your contraception."

On the back of all the t-shirts worn by participants - "Adolescent and Youth Access to Reproductive Health Services: A priority" 

The rest are pictures from the conference itself. Here is the opening ceremony with President Wade giving the opening address.

 This is the tent for the political dialogue session between Senegalese youth and the 3 First Ladies, as well as a African Women Leaders organization.

The First Lady of Mozambique.

The First Lady of Namibia.

 The First Lady of Sénégal.

Youth were assigned to tables with members of this African Women Leaders organization. During the session, there were breakout sessions intended to allow youth to discuss and advocate for their ideas on how policy should be changed to be more inclusive and youth friendly in terms of reproductive health and family planning rights. This is a MAJ member reporting on his breakout session.

Another MAJ member reporting out.

A photo with the 3 First Ladies.

 Before the conference, ASBEF and MAJ held a competition for the best art submissions by youth related to family planning. The winning pieces were then sold during the conference. Here is a conference participant with his purchase!

Me begin stoked to be at the closing ceremony.

The President of MAJ St. Louis, Pape Magotte Ndiaye, giving his closing address. 

An entry wouldn't be complete without some food! Here are some photos of the ceebu jën (the national dish in Senegal made with fresh fish, rice, tons of vegetables, and a myriad of amazing sauces) made my housemate's boyfriend. While Mamadou repeatedly tried to convince me that he cooks all the time, my housemate confirmed that this was indeed his first attempt at ceebu jën. And what an accomplishment. Truly - magnifique!

The aerial view - note the abundance of vegetables, fish in the center, and sauces around the edge. So, one is made from hibiscus leaves (the green sauce in the pink cup), the sauce in the yellow dish is the juice the fish was cooked in. Then there's lime around the plate, another sauce made from nettatoo, a fishy-smelling (but yummy) seed I've only ever seen in Senegal, and xoin (the crispy burned rice found at the bottom of the bowl).

And this is the picture we're sending to Food and Wine. Bon appétit!