“Only 6% of Women Uses Condom in Sierra Leone” – UNFPA

The UNFPA Country Representative to Sierra Leone, Nadia Rasheed has said in Freetown that her Organization has distributed eight million six hundred thousand (8.6M) condoms in 2023 in the country.

She made this statement to journalists at a news conference ahead of the International Condom Day slated for Wednesday 14th February 2024.

She disclosed that they partnered with the Ministry of Health and partners for the distribution of three million five hundred thousand United States dollars (US$3.5M) worth of contraceptives in 2023.

She said UNFPA is proud to collaborate with the Government and partners to address issues related to confirmed use. She pointed out that condom use in the country is low as 6% of women and 21% of men use condoms which she noted is a concern.

Madam Nadia noted that there is a high rate of adolescent pregnancy and STI because people are not using condoms. She called on the people of Sierra Leone to destigmatize condom use stating that they must work together to increase access to information about health.

She added that UNFPA is firmly committed to ensuring people have access to the resources and stop the barriers.

In his contribution, the Director General of the National Aids Secretariat, Abdul Rahman Sesay said condom use is a critical health element in the country. He emphasized that there are lots of barriers to Condom use, stressing that there is a need to break them.

He said they aim to improve access in addition to partnering with the private sector to ensure the realization of their goal. Sesay emphasized the need to promote social marketing and distribution and called on the public and private sectors to make their products very accessible. He said some people are not using condoms, noting that they need to break that barrier.

For his part, the UNAIDS Country Director, Isaac Ahemesah maintained that condom use protects people from HIV, STI, and unplanned pregnancy. He disclosed that new HIV infection in the country has decline as they put people on live-saving drugs.