About Us >> Jessica Griffin Burke: Global Health Advocate, Agent of Change
Empowering Adolescents in Madagascar
Public Health
Why does a youth-focused nongovernmental organization in Madagascar want to connect with a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh?
According to Jessica Griffin Burke, associate vice chancellor for global affairs and professor of behavioral and community health sciences, School of Public Health, it’s because they share a passion for developing partnerships and utilizing creative methods to improve public health outcomes.
In the case of Madagascar’s Projet Jeune Leader (PJL), it was an opportunity to work toward their mission of helping every Malagasy youth thrive through adolescence.
“In a country where nearly half the population is under the age of 15, and approximately one-third of girls become mothers before the age of 18, it was painfully obvious that there was a need for increased knowledge and support around what was always considered a taboo subject—sexuality education,” says Burke.
PJL’s programming is delivered in conjunction with local schools and covers topics ranging from puberty, anatomy, menstruation and fertility to leadership skills, assertive communications and how to manage emotions and build healthy relationships.
“In a country where nearly half the population is under the age of 15, and approximately one-third of girls become mothers before the age of 18, it was painfully obvious that there was a need for increased knowledge and support around what was always considered a taboo subject—sexuality education.”
Burke and her colleague, assistant professor Sara Baumann, worked with the PJL team to bring their own innovative and creative research method called Collaborative Filmmaking to Madagascar for the first time. Using the method, PJL and their community educators were able to uncover key insights as to how to build trust in delivering comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in certain rural public schools in Madagascar.
Collaborative Filmmaking, a tool co-created by Burke and Baumann, provided a framework for the educators—a creative way to gain a greater understanding of how they can best address a sensitive health topic and develop community support for the work. Furthermore, it allowed them to collect valuable insights that could be presented to Madagascar’s Ministry of Health in an effort to expand the program to other areas of the country.
Photo Gallery
In the schools where the CSE program has been implemented, the number of pregnancies has decreased. Students have reported increased knowledge of sexuality and sexual behaviors, as well as improved courage and confidence in discussing these matters. School principals have reported better attendance records and more school engagement, while parents say the CSE program has strengthened family relationships.
CSE programming has spillover effects in the community by creating community connections and awareness. The program also facilitates the fight against domestic violence and substance use, and community members often turn to the PJL educators as a source of knowledge and trust in other aspects of life and community development.
“The PJL CSE program in Madagascar changes attitudes, perceptions and behaviors,” notes Burke. “But the really exciting thing for me is that we at Pitt were able to provide creative tools for community engagement in the research and evaluation process.”
Using Human-Centered Design Tools
Through a grant from the Spencer Foundation, a U.S.-based foundation focused on supporting education research, the Pitt-PJL team is working to develop a context-specific evaluation tool to assess the impact of PJL’s CSE programming on youth empowerment in Madagascar, key priorities for government stakeholders responsible for sustaining and expanding the CSE program.
Visual Voices, a tool that involves systematic creative writing, drawing and painting activities to yield culturally relevant information, began as an art project for adolescents more than 30 years ago. In 2009, Burke partnered with Michael Yonas to transform it into a formal arts-based participatory research method.
See examples of how the Malagasy youth depicted their concerns and hopes for the future through art and writing.
“The impact of PJL’s CSE work in Madagascar is evident,” notes Burke. “It goes beyond students and schools to families and the community at large.”