Pathways: empowering women and adolescent girls in Upper Egypt

This project aims to empower adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Assiut and Minia Governorates Upper Egypt. The project focusses on enhancing knowledge of SRHR and improving access to gender-responsive adolescent-friendly SRHR services including family planning and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) support. The project seeks to improve the capacity of civil society government and institutional actors to promote SRHR and gender equality in public policies and programs. Project activities include: (1) training and coaching health facility staff and private providers to improve service delivery of gender-responsive adolescent-friendly and environmentally friendly SRHR and SGBV to AGYW; (2) rehabilitating and improving health facilities to better meet the needs of AGYW including those living with disabilities; (3) organizing training and social engagement initiatives to enhance knowledge and attitudes of SRHR topics life skills health and nutrition positive gender norms and SGBV for AGYW and their parents as well as religious and community leaders; and (4) providing capacity-building support and training to government and civil society actors including women’s rights organizations (WRO) to better mobilize public support and advocate for the implementation of government SRHR and gender equality (GE) policies. The project targets about 100 health facilities and directly benefit approximately 39 434 people including 33 500 direct beneficiaries and 5 934 intermediaries.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved provision of gender-responsive and adolescent-friendly SRH services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) including family planning sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) services; 2) increased decision-making of AGYW regarding their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender equality rights including access to SRHR and SGBV services; and 3) increased accountability of government and institutional stakeholders in the promotion of SRHR and gender equality rights of AGYW.