Training healthcare providers for compassionate care of Malagasy adolescents

"Only professionals can provide adolescents with reliable information on reproductive health, as rumors spread easily in the community, and young people are especially vulnerable." – Dr. Lucas, CSB Andriambilany

Training for healthcare providers in Ambositra

We organized a training for healthcare providers in our three regions of work in Madagascar to improve health services for adolescents.

The goals of this capacity-building initiative were to:

• Promote warm, caring, and attentive care for adolescents referred by our Projet Jeune Leader (PJL) Educators to healthcare centers. 

• Enhance the communication skills of healthcare partners to make reproductive health services more accessible and appealing to adolescents.

• Build a strong, trusting relationship between healthcare providers and our PJL Educators in our partner communities.

  
  

"Adolescents are often afraid to open up and tend to hide their problems. But when we know how to speak with them and provide a welcoming environment, they eventually trust us, and some even come to our homes. Strengthening our communication skills with them is crucial!" – Sophia, midwife at CSB 2 Ibity

Understanding healthcare providers’ expectations and young adolescents’ priorities

In October 2024, we conducted research to better understand healthcare providers’ expectations regarding these capacity-building sessions and middle school students’ priorities for adolescent-centered healthcare.

Our team interviewed five healthcare providers working closely with our PJL Educators. These healthcare providers identified communication and confidentiality as key areas they wanted to work on during the training to build a stronger trust-based relationship with their youth clients.

Students from Vakinankaratra and Haute Matsiatra also shared their main concerns and priorities during focus groups. For them, the severity and lack of empathy from some providers, the fear of being judged or criticized, and the lack of discretion in handling their cases are major barriers preventing them from visiting health centers and fully trusting the healthcare providers.

Adapting our curriculum to respond to healthcare providers’ and students’ priorities

The existing training curriculum that we had addressed emotional, cognitive, and social changes during adolescence and strategies to create a trusting environment for adolescent clients (i.e. active listening, non-violent communication, and counseling). The research with students and healthcare providers informed new additions to this training curriculum, namely:

1. We emphasized the importance of trust-based relationships, as part of a larger goal ofcreating a welcoming environment for young people.

   
   

2. We developed a new module focused on psychological support in health centers, as healthcare providers are often the first line of response for adolescents who experience violence. This module is also part of our broader efforts to ensure the protection and safety of everyone involved in our activities.

   
   

3. We added additional activities (role-playing, scenarios, case studies, and self-assessment exercises) to make the training even more participatory. We also scripted the entire curriculum to make it easier for the facilitator to deliver it.

Delivering the training to partner healthcare providers

In November and December 2024 and in January 2025, our Technical Manager, Chrystian, delivered the training to 75 enthusiastic healthcare providers working at public clinics in Vakinankaratra, Amoron'i Mania, and Haute Matsiatra regions. Our PJL Educators also participated in these sessions so that they could strengthen their relationships with the healthcare provider of their geographic area.

We conducted a post-training evaluation to assess participants' motivation and their learning. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive! Participants expressed their enthusiasm and emphasized how relevant and useful the training will be in their daily work.

Training for healthcare providers in Ambalavoa

"The training made me realize that we often underestimate the importance of communication with clients. We’re usually rushed with our work, but effective communication is key. I wish this training could be offered every three months to help us keep improving." – Dr. Hasina, CSB 2 Behenjy

Healthcare providers also expressed interest in expanding this training to even more topics to help them continue to provide more tailored and consistent care for young people. Their interest aligns with our our commitment of making reproductive health services more accessible and attractive to young people in Madagascar!

"Would it be possible to extend this training to all healthcare workers, including those from CSBs that aren't yet partners with Projet Jeune Leader? This training is essential and would be incredibly useful for all field workers." – Dr. Ravaka, representative of the medical inspectors of Antsirabe and Ambositra

Training for healthcare providers in Fianarantsoa

A big thank you to the Fanainga+ initiative for their financial support.