On January 27 and 28, 2026, the NGO RAES organized the annual regional meeting of CSOs of the C'est la vie! program – Community & Media component – in Toubab Dialao . This meeting brought together civil society organizations, representatives of the supervisory ministries of Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as partners of the RAES – Solthis – Equipop consortium and the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit, with the support of the AFD – French Development Agency .

The objective: to foster a space for exchange and collective reflection to strengthen the coherence and effectiveness of interventions in favor of the rights and reproductive health of adolescents and young people.

That's life! : a program at the heart of social change

Since 2012, C'est la vie! has focused on an innovative edutainment approach , combining community communication, mass media, advocacy, and strengthening the provision of health services. The program aims to prevent early marriage, unwanted pregnancies, and gender-based violence , while improving young people's knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

The current phase, deployed in four West African countries, is based on a strong partnership dynamic with local CSOs and national institutions , highlighting the regional anchoring of the program in health and reproductive rights priorities.

Reviewing actions and results by country

The first day was devoted to a regional review after five months of implementation:

9,400 people directly affected,

. nearly 5,000 beneficiaries of health services,

Over 2 million people reached via community radio,

. an audience of several million thanks to broadcasting on TV5 Monde.

Partner CSOs shared progress in community awareness, youth engagement and advocacy, while identifying persistent challenges such as socio-cultural resistance, limited access to certain rural areas or the need to strengthen the dissemination of messages in local languages.

Capitalizing on successes and learning together

Inter-country exchange sessions made it possible to share good practices , identify success factors for campaigns and consider the conditions necessary for their adaptation and scaling up in different contexts.

Particular attention was paid to the involvement of religious leaders and young people , who are key to the acceptance and sustainability of the interventions.

Strengthening the synergy between communication, advocacy and service delivery

The second day focused on the connection between youth demand and the supply of reproductive health services , with discussions on:

. strengthening the focus on appropriate services,

. improving collaboration with healthcare facilities,

. the increased involvement of community and institutional leaders.

Clear priorities for the future

The meeting resulted in the identification of priorities and next steps for the continuation of the campaigns, taking into account the results achieved and lessons learned in each country. The shared ambition remains to sustainably strengthen the impact of community and media actions in West Africa.

RAES thanks AFD for its trust as well as all the institutional, technical and community partners involved in the implementation of the program.

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