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What Works in Family Planning and Reproductive Health, Part 2: Co-Creating with Youth

Using a Multi-Media Strategy to Break Family Planning Taboos


Knowledge SUCCESS is pleased to announce the second edition in a series that documents what works in family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH). The series uses innovative design to present, in-depth, essential elements of impactful programs.

In this second edition of the “What Works in Family Planning and Reproductive Health” series, we feature Breakthrough ACTION’s Merci Mon Héros campaign. It uses a model built on social and behavior change theories for improving sexual and reproductive health for young people living in francophone Africa.

Through a combination of social media engagement and in-person community events, the West Africa Breakthrough ACTION project is partnering with young advocates in the region to empower peers and adult allies to speak openly about reproductive health, contraception, and family planning. 

Explore the piece to discover the indispensable tools developed by the Merci Mon Héros campaign, and learn how you can apply them in your program.

For more information on what works in family planning and reproductive health, see part 1 of the series, which focuses on male engagement.

Erin Portillo

Senior Program Officer, Family Planning, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Erin Portillo is a Senior Program Officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, where she supports family planning, youth, and reproductive health social and behavior change programs. Erin has a public health background and over a decade of international experience, mostly in francophone West Africa.

Sophie Weiner

Program Officer II, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Sophie Weiner is a Knowledge Management and Communications Program Officer II at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs where she is dedicated to developing print and digital content, coordinating project events, and strengthening capacity for storytelling in Francophone Africa. Her interests include family planning/reproductive health, social and behavior change, and the intersection between population, health, and the environment. Sophie holds a B.A. in French/International Relations from Bucknell University, an M.A. in French from New York University, and a master’s degree in Literary Translation from the Sorbonne Nouvelle.

Ruwaida Salem

Senior Program Officer, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Ruwaida Salem, Senior Program Officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, has nearly 20 years of experience in the global health field. As team lead for knowledge solutions and lead author of Building Better Programs: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Knowledge Management in Global Health, she designs, implements, and manages knowledge management programs to improve access to and use of critical health information among health professionals around the world. She holds a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Akron, and a Graduate Certificate in User Experience Design from Kent State University.