International Development Grant

Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Boys and Girls in the DRC

Project Number: CA-3-D004601001

Status: Closed

Country/Region:

Congo
Democratic Republic 100.00%

Maximum Contribution: $9,927,414.00

Start Date: March 22, 2018

End Date: June 30, 2021

Duration: 3.3 years

Project Description

The project aims to meet the needs of pre-adolescents and adolescents in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with respect to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services that are gender-specific and adapted to their reality. To do so the network of school and local community organizations has become involved to maximize awareness and engagement of key players. The project focuses on promoting and supporting positive and healthy social norms in order to encourage respectful equitable and sustainable behaviours. Project activities include: (1) developing educational and promotional materials on positive norms of gender equality and sexual and reproductive health services and rights that take into account the adolescents’ age and gender; (2) setting up school clubs for adolescents attending school and community space for youth; (3) adapting and improving the quality of SRH services in health centres to meet the needs of adolescents; and (4) establishing and strengthening child and youth protection committees comprised of community members.

Expected Results

The expected results for this project include: 1) increased and equal access to high-quality information on sexual and reproductive health services and rights that takes into account the adolescents’ age and gender; 2) improved quality of adapted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in health centres to meet the needs of adolescents; and 3) increased stakeholder capacity to create a social environment that supports adolescents in exercising their sexual and reproductive health rights and protects them from sexual and gender-based violence.

Progress & Results Achieved

Results achieved as of the end of the project (June 2021) include: (1) 9 673 adolescents (5 440 of whom are girls) have participated in school clubs that educate them on gender equality as well as sexual and reproductive health; (2) 20 community based organizations supported by the project by promoting gender equality as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights; (3) 284 health care providers (160 of whom are women) received training in sexual and reproductive health women's and girl's sexual and reproductive rights and providing support in cases of sexual and gender based violence; (4) 8 621 adolescent club members (4 643 of whom are girls) and 254 teachers of the family planning course attended information sessions on referral mechanisms and the mapping of sexual and gender based violence management services. They can now identify the steps to take the available services and are encouraged to make quality referrals; (5) 114 providers (56 medical input managers and 58 people in charge of health training 64 of whom are women and 50 of whom are men) received training on managing contraceptive inputs so they are now better equipped to quantify contraceptive needs when making requisitions; and (6) empowerment of girls aged 10 to 14 increased by 7% from 2018 to 2021 and empowerment of girls aged 15 to 19 increased by 10%. As a result of the project's initiatives adolescent girls are better informed are more confident and have enhanced their bargaining power to take actions regarding their lives despite social pressures and to claim their human rights.

Key Information

Executing Agency:
Save the Children Canada

Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada

Program:
WGM Africa

Last Modified:
September 19, 2025

Development Classifications

DAC Sector:

Population policy and administrative management 30%
Reproductive health care 25%
Family planning 25%
Personnel development for population and reproductive health 20%

Aid Type: Project-type interventions

Collaboration: Bilateral

Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation

Selection Mechanism:
Department-Initiated

Policy Markers
Level 1 Gender equality
Level 1 Children's issues
Level 1 Youth Issues
Major Funding (>$1M)
Budget Breakdown
2017-04-01 to 2018-03-31 $9,927,414 CAD
Geographic Information
000
Project Number: CA-3-D004601001