In rural Madagascar, young people face challenges accessing their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). High levels of school dropout, unintended pregnancy, and gender-based violence, creates barriers to improving the health well-being of adolescents. So, how do rural young people equip themselves with the skills and knowledge they need to live healthy, confident lives?
Enter Projet Jeune Leader (PJL), a youth-founded organisation who is transforming how Madagascar approaches adolescent health by placing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) at the heart of its strategy. CSE is evidence-driven education focused on providing young people with age-appropriate, accurate and holistic information about their bodies, their health, and their rights. Globally, CSE has been proven to be effective at improving health outcomes for young people, including improving safer sex behaviours, reducing unintended pregnancies and STI and HIV infections, and improving young people’s confidence to make decisions about their health and their relationships.
Since 2013, in rural public middle schools, PJL has been implementing school-based CSE programmes. In the 2024–2025 school year alone, over 56,000 young adolescents received this vital, values-based education. As well as improvement on SRHR knowledge and practices, PJL’s programme has shown many spillover effects, including increased student motivation and educational attainment, parents’ engagement with school, and stronger motivation of school principals.
Since I started the PJL classes, I realized that I have changed so much. I have developed more confidence and tolerance in life. Even though I still have a lot of problems on my mind, the teachings of the PJL educator always relate directly to my life and help me so much. Having the PJL educator really changes your life.
A PJL student in Ambohimanjaka
With AmplifyChange funding, PJL is working with allies in government to embed CSE into the education system permanently. After years of advocacy, this year, the Ministry of Education is committing to financing and rolling out PJL’s CSE model at the national level. In partnership with the Ministry of Education, PJL will train young teachers graduating from public teacher training institutes to deliver weekly, holistic CSE classes alongside core subjects like science or Malagasy. Teachers use PJL’s nationally approved, 108-module CSE curriculum and offer trauma-informed counselling, referrals to health services, and support for students. PJL will additionally provide ongoing support and supervision through the implementation of the programme.
With this new support from the Ministry of Education, by the end of 2025, 400,000 students in 1,747 rural public middle schools will receive PJL’s CSE curriculum. 13 new regions will be integrated into national programming, meaning around 1 in 6 rural Malagasy students will be reached with CSE education.
What makes my role important as a CSE educator is that it helps improve relationships amongst students, between students and teachers, and students and their teachers. All of this contributes to a more positive environment. I love my job so much that I always look forward to leading the next classes. I love teaching my students because they are very interested. Sometimes we cover new topics that they have never heard of before, and they are very eager to learn. It’s so rewarding to teach them.
Olivier, a government teacher-trainee and CSE educator in Sendrisoa
This advocacy success is driven by demand from parents, school principals, and young people themselves. Their insights have been captured through collaborative filmmaking and participatory research, then communicated to national decision-makers through creative advocacy strategies. PJL also regularly brought officials from the National Ministry of Education into the classroom to see the CSE educators’ impact for themselves.
Alongside classroom-based education, PJL engages parents and school leaders who are often the gatekeepers of what’s “appropriate” for young people. Workshops and open dialogue foster understanding and trust, and this approach has cultivated unprecedented community support for CSE. Parents are advocating for continued programming, and headteachers are vocal advocates for the program, and are key in bringing parents on board, from the start.
Thank you to you, PJL Educators, from us the parents of students at the school, because the messages you taught our children have been well received by them. Since your arrival in the school, my child has learned so much and is open to talking to us, parents, about reproductive health.
Parent of a PJL student in Alakamisy Ambohima
These experiences and tools are shared in PJL’s AmplifyChange-supported publication CSE We Can Count On, a practical guide for building CSE programming from the ground up.
By using their experience of direct CSE implementation and applying the outcomes to national policy advocacy, PJL have now ensured that young people across Madagascar have access to comprehensive, accurate information to live healthy lives.
