Working to end female genital schistosomiasis in Côte d’Ivoire

In December, we asked you to back our She is seen campaign to support prevention services for 140,000 women in Côte d’Ivoire facing the health burden of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), and the isolation it can bring.

You responded and helped raise an astonishing £123,400. Thank you!

Using some of these funds, and with technical support from Unlimit Health, the Ministry of Health has now developed the first draft of a sophisticated questionnaire for health professionals to identify women at risk of FGS. This is the first step in providing prevention and care.

This risk-assessment tool will soon be tested in a sample of 24 health centres, integrated into services reaching around 19,200 women aged 15-29. These young women will have access to care and prevention for FGS, often for the first time.

The testing of the tool will be completed by the end of 2024 and paves the way for the roll-out of FGS services to reach up to 140,000 women at risk by the second year of the project.

Ultimately, this initiative is intended to become a nationwide programme serving all the 3.8 million women potentially at risk of FGS in Côte d’Ivoire.

You can find more detail about the project in this interactive story.

Stay in touch for updates on how, with your support, women are bringing closer the end of parasitic disease in Côte d’Ivoire.