Tackling taboos
Love Matters Arabic is truly unique for its credible, comprehensive and youth-friendly Arabic-language content on sexual health and wellbeing. The platform is opening up the topic of sexuality for young people in a region where talking openly about sex is deeply taboo.
Research indicates 86% of information on reproductive health in the Arabic language contains inaccurate elements. Egypt, in particular, is a country where myths and misleading information about sex abound, and nine out of ten women have undergone female genital cutting.
Regardless of the challenges, Love Matters Arabic is now established as a reputable project genuinely committed to improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young people in Egypt and beyond.
Since its launch in 2014, Love Matters has tapped into the region’s internet-savvy 18- to 30-year-olds who flock to the website, discussion boards, YouTube self-help videos and social media platforms to find the reliable information and advice they need to make informed choices about their lives.
Rising visibility
Love Matters has managed to attract some powerful partners. For example, Almasry Alyoum– the biggest news outlet in Egypt, with nine million followers on Facebook and four million on Twitter – publishes two Love Matters articles weekly, with the content tailored to their needs.
Love Matters Arabic also does not shy away from organising attention-grabbing events, such as music concerts, art exhibitions and training programmes and courses for partners.
IFMSA
One particular success story arose thanks to a strategic partnership with the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (IFMSA) who were so impressed with a training for 80 young trainee medics on how to talk about sexuality with young people, that it’s now being expanded to include secondary schools and university students.