Supporting Family Planning and Abortion in Mozambique

This project aims to improve gender equality in nine districts in Manica and Tete provinces such that adolescent girls and young women can exercise their rights to autonomy and self-determination over their own body as well as to sexual and reproductive health. Project activities include: (1) conducting outreach training and small group mentoring of adolescent girls and young women to increase their confidence knowledge skills and civic action on sexual and reproductive health; (2) establishing community feedback and accountability mechanisms on quality of health services and progress on gender equality; (3) facilitating community dialogues for young and older men to increase their engagement and responsibility and develop action plans on sexual and reproductive health gender violence early marriage and gender equality; (4) training community healthcare workers who counsel family members on the harmful effects of sexual and gender-based violence as well as child early and forced marriage; (5) broadcasting radio shows that address harmful and discriminatory norms about sexual and reproductive health; (6) establishing services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence including screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and psychological support; (7) training and mentoring health providers and managers to offer quality safe and legal contraceptive and abortion services; and (8) conducting outreach to provide family planning and other sexual and reproductive health services and referrals to the most remote populations.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased empowerment of women and girls to exercise agency in household- community- and policy-level sexual and reproductive health and rights decision-making; (2) decreased harmful practices and socio-cultural norms and beliefs that limit women’s and girls’ decision-making and control over their sexual and reproductive health sexuality and bodily integrity; and (3) improved provision and utilization of rights-based gender-sensitive youth-friendly contraceptive abortion and sexual and gender-based violence services.