As the fight for reproductive rights intensifies around the world, teenagers around the world are struggling to access sexual and reproductive healthcare, but a new study suggests a platform led by youth in Rwanda could help change that.
CyberRwanda, a digital platform developed by YLabs to improve adolescent sexual health, was recently evaluated by researchers at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, examining its impact on high school adolescents in a randomized controlled trial. A study published this week in Natural medicineone of the largest of its kind on teenage sexual health in Africa, found that sexually active Rwandan adolescents aged 12 to 19 who accessed CyberRwanda at their schools were significantly more likely to use contraceptives than participants in control schools.
Unlike traditional top-down approaches, the creation of the CyberRwanda initiative involved more than 1,000 Rwandan youth. The youth were involved at every stage – from conception to implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In an industry where end-user participation, especially youth, is often low, CyberRwanda addresses the real health and wellness needs of Rwandan youth while ensuring that the platform is responsive to their life experiences.
After following 6,000 adolescents for 24 months, the study showed a significant increase in contraceptive use among sexually active CyberRwanda participants: 63% reported using it, compared to 53% in the control group. While there were no significant changes in contraceptive use across the intervention group, there were notable improvements among CyberRwanda participants in other outcomes that can have long-term reproductive health implications, including family planning knowledge, attitudes, confidence in seeking health care, and behavior. The study also compared two CyberRwanda models—one that offered only the digital platform and another that incorporated peer-led club sessions. The study found that participants who had access to the peer-led club sessions had better outcomes than those who only had access to the digital platform, suggesting that the in-person component of the intervention added value to CyberRwanda.
“With this groundbreaking study, YLabs and UC Berkeley have demonstrated how youth-led innovation can create positive change. By empowering young people to drive development and implementation and participate in the evaluation of the platform, CyberRwanda has become a pioneer in redefining healthcare in the digital age,” said Dr. Chinwe Effiong, CEO of YLabs.
“We found that CyberRwanda participants who reported being sexually active were significantly more likely to use contraception than control participants. This is important because we know that adolescents in Rwanda lack access to essential family planning and reproductive health services and that rates of teen pregnancy are high. This tells us that CyberRwanda has the potential to improve access to these services,” said Dr. Rebecca Hémono, a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
“Our multi-year, multidisciplinary collaboration – bringing together designers, implementers, community partners, youth leaders and scientists – demonstrates best practices in policy-relevant, community-based research that benefits young people. By thoroughly examining whether CyberRwanda works, why it works, under what conditions it succeeds, and opportunities for improvement, we have created a roadmap for future improvements and expansions of CyberRwanda,” said Dr. Sandi McCoy, professor of epidemiology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and lead of the evaluation.
Across cultures and contexts, young people struggle to access accurate, confidential information about sexual and reproductive health. According to a 2023 YLabs study of over 12,000 youth aged 15-24 worldwide, one in four reported never receiving any form of sexuality education. Further research on CyberRwanda also shows that young people often face stigma, shame or even criminalization when seeking access to contraception or HIV testing and services. Digital health platforms like CyberRwanda offer youth a new, safe and private way to learn about the care they need to prevent unwanted pregnancies and HIV/STI infections. In a region where an unwanted pregnancy can abruptly end a young person’s education, timely and accurate care is critical – CyberRwanda is filling the gap by connecting young people with the care and equipping them with the knowledge they need.
Ready for national expansion, USAID-funded CyberRwanda aims to reach 100,000 youth by the end of 2024, with a goal of reaching more than 300,000 young people by 2025. The platform’s success in Rwanda serves as a blueprint for similar initiatives globally, as YLabs replicates this model in other regions, from the US to Tanzania. As one of the first digital platforms in sub-Saharan Africa to be thoroughly studied at scale and proven to improve young people’s reproductive health knowledge and behavior, CyberRwanda has the potential to be a game-changer for this young and increasingly online-oriented generation—the largest in Africa’s history.
