Multilingual communication, Multimodality and Multivocality as Enablers of Information Access: Teenage Pregnancy Interventions in South Africa and Lesotho

The deluge of teenage pregnancies has become a global concern given the many challenges that are associated with teenage pregnancy. The escalating trends of teenage pregnancy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and other countries on the African continent have brought to light the need to rethink ways in which communication strategies on sexual health and reproductive rights can be designed to effectively “speak” to the youth and address their needs. I

The deluge of teenage pregnancies has become a global concern given the many challenges that are associated with teenage pregnancy. The escalating trends of teenage pregnancy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and other countries on the African continent have brought to light the need to rethink ways in which communication strategies on sexual health and reproductive rights can be designed to effectively “speak” to the youth and address their needs. In particular, there is a need to focus on multi-faceted inclusivity to address all sectors of the youth population. Most of the available communication interventions have been informed by scholarly theoretical frameworks, global guidelines, national and regional strategies and have used tools and platforms that do not appeal to the youth. They have also overlooked the value of co-creation with the target communities and the incorporation of indigenous knowledge and languages. This is despite the well-known multilingual nature of African communities and the widely acknowledged socio-economic and social dynamics of information access in Africa. This chapter explores some of the characteristics of an effective teenage pregnancy intervention strategy. It looks specifically into how the lenses of inclusivity, multivocality and co-creation can be harnessed to enhance the reach and impact of messaging in these strategies, drawing examples from Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) communication experiences in Lesotho and South Africa.