International Development Grant
Ensuring Access to Family Planning Services in Ghana
Project Number: CA-3-P009042001
Status: Operational
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $10,000,000.00
Start Date: March 25, 2021
End Date: December 31, 2023
Duration: 2.8 years
Project Description
This project aims to ensure access to high-quality family planning (FP) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC) services for the poorest and most underserved women and girls in 11 of Ghana’s 16 regions. This project focuses on reaching some of the poorest and most underserved women and girls in the country within the Central Northern North East and Savannah regions. This project also contributes to strengthens their decision-making power on issues that affect their health. Project activities include: (1) supporting local advocacy efforts that call to strengthen policies and guidelines related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in Ghana including the adoption of SRHR education in schools and the national rollout of FP services as part of the National Health Insurance Scheme benefit package; (2) strengthening the capacity of the Government of Ghana to provide strong policy leadership and meet the increasing demand for SRHR services via its public health care system; and (3) supporting a national youth-focused campaign on Heath and FP. This project expects to directly benefit 200 000 women and girls by providing them access to high quality rights-based and client-centred FP and CAC services. Other direct beneficiaries include: (1) 208 public sector providers including eight master trainers/supervisors; (2) eight public sector health promoters and 120 community-based volunteers; (3) 100 private sector service providers who are members of the BlueStar Network social franchise; (4) 200 community pharmacists; and (5) 3 600 police officers/recruits who expect to receive training on safeguarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Expected Results
The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased use of high-quality family planning (FP) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC) services by poor and underserved women and girls; (2) improved support for poor and underserved women and girls to seek high quality services that meet their individual FP and CAC needs; and (3) created a more sustainable and supportive environment for fulfilling sexual and reproductive health and rights in Ghana.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of March 2025 include: (1) delivered 197 117 Family Planning and Couple Years Protection procedures across project communities achieving a cumulative total of 698 046. Also administered 12 971 comprehensive abortion care services. Increased access to Family Planning and Couple Years Protection services resulted in the prevention of an estimated 89 790 unintended pregnancies giving a total of 481 121 Unsafe abortions averted = 42 744 over the year and 277 181 cumulatively and 247 maternal deaths prevented reaching cumulative total of 1 595; (2) trained 180 public service providers (178 women and 2 men) on Family Planning and Comprehensive Abortion Care services reaching a cumulative total of 700 (659F and 41M). Also 60 public sector facilities and are provided with the necessary equipment and commodities to provide these services in their health facilities. Also strengthened capacity of 404 private sector service providers (367 women and 37 men) to provide community-based Comprehensive Abortion Care and Family Planning services; and (3) supported Marie Stopes International to provide technical support for dissemination and adoption of to the revised national guidelines and protocols to ensure broad-based gender-sensitive and adolescent-friendly services are provided at the facilities. Marie Stopes International in consultation with their partners also helped in expanding the CSO network for implementation of the national guidelines on school-based health services to remove barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights services through school clinics and nurse-led reproductive health education in schools.
Key Information
Executing Agency:
MARIE STOPES INTERNATIONAL LTD.
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
WGM Africa
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Department-Initiated