An advocacy workshop with journalists took place on September 10, 2014 in Yaounde as part of the Global Female Condom Day.

Take action and “Dance4Demand”! This is the slogan as Cameroon joins the international community, come September 16, 2014 to commemorate the third edition of the Global Female Condom Day on the theme “Dance for Demand.”

Ahead of the day, the Cameroon Association For Social Marketing dubbed ACMS in the French Language on Wednesday September 10, launched activities to mark the day with an advocacy workshop aimed at bringing journalists to educate, inform and promote the increasing knowledge, accessibility and use of female condoms in Cameroon and beyond.

The Executive Director of ACMS, Auguste Kpognon, said the workshop was an opportunity for the association to involve all stakeholders particularly the media to effectively participate in creating awareness on the use of female condom which is one of the major tools currently available and designed to offer woman-initiated protection against STIs, HIV and unplanned pregnancy.

Given that media practitioners are the main information relay in the communication chain, the Executive Director of ACMS noted that holding an advocacy workshop with them is an important phase of the implementation of advocacy activities around the female condom.

During the one-day workshop, journalists were lectured on the importance of the female condom, the myths and advantages around it. Over the weekend, ACMS alongside its partners will encourage stakeholders to arouse the interest of people and policy makers about the female condom.

Sensitisation campaigns to promote the use of female condom called “Zone Condomise” will take place in the Mimboman and Nkoabang markets in Yaounde as well as HIV screening women and sex workers.  Events will be culminated on September 16 at the Essos market with a choreographed dance event for 10 minutes “Dance for demand”, to attract attention around the female condom.