Overview
As a norm, young people in Sierra Leone often commemorate Valentine’s Day by engaging with the opposite sex. On Valentine’s Day, young people are expected to be involved in sexual intercourse, either forcefully or mutually. As such, some end up becoming victims of STIs, unplanned pregnancies, or gender-based violence.
Therefore, Marie Stopes Sierra Leone organised and undertook the Valentine Campaign across four tertiary institutions in Sierra Leone – the Eastern Technical University—Kenema Campus, the Ernest Bai Koroma University, Every Nation College – Bo, and the Milton Margai University of Technology on Friday, February 14th, 2025.
The event, which officially started at noon and ended at 10:00 AM, reached approximately 800 participants and generated demand for Le 6,080 worth of products that included sanitary pads, pregnancy tests, and emergency contraception, while the demand for services was not captured immediately in the figure.
Objectives of the Valentine’s Campaign
The objectives of the Valentine Campaign were:
- To promote Marie Stopes Sierra Leone (MSSL) centre services and products.
- To create brand awareness about the MSSL brand.
- To contribute to health education among young adults and university students.
Partnerships and Future Engagements
Marie Stopes Sierra Leone aims to establish long-term partnerships with universities to increase sexual and reproductive health awareness and safe sex practices. The Valentine campaign was also held at Earnest Bai Koroma University of Science in Bombali and Every Nation College in Bo, focusing on health education and product promotion.
Presentations
Across all four locations, the event commenced with an introduction of the MSSL team members present and the key facilitators. This was followed by a discussion on the mission and vision of MSSL, the scope and operation of Marie Stopes through all the channels across the country, and what we do across all the channels.
The sessions were handled as follows:
- Health Talk Sessions: Conducted by both service providers and the clinical supervision team. They led discussions on STI prevention, family planning methods, side effects, and their benefits to young adults, especially active college students. Topics included the causes and remedies for painful sex, excessively heavy periods, abnormal periods, and infertility.
- Product Knowledge: Kumba H. Alfred explained the features and benefits of products such as Flame condoms, Backup, Well Plan, and Marie Sanitary Pads.
- STI Information, Hepatitis, and Blood Grouping: Handled by the lab manager and lab technicians in the regions.
The presentations ended with questions from the participants, and the facilitators took their time to respond to each one.
Key Quotes/Comments from Participants
- “I was experiencing bad odour and discharge, and after taking treatment with Marie Stopes, I feel better and comfortable.”
- “Before now, I thought IUD was dangerous, not knowing it was one of the best FP methods.”
- “Since I took Captain Ban, I have been experiencing irregular menses, but when I treat myself for infection at Marie Stopes, it gets better.”