Empowering Youth Through Rights-Based Comprehensive Sexuality Education

This project aims to empower young women and girls to exercise their rights to make free and informed choices about their sexuality and well-being in Bolivia Kenya and Togo. The project partner International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a federation of Member Associations (MAs). The IPPF has identified 3 MAs to become Centres of Excellence over the course of the project. The project supports the establishment of these three Centres of Excellence in Bolivia Kenya and Togo for gender-integrated and rights-based youth-centred sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programs for the Latin American Anglophone and Francophone African regions. The project enables the three International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Member Associations to: 1) improve access to comprehensive sexuality education programs and SRH services that are gender-integrated rights-based and youth centred; 2) improve the quality of CSE programs so that they are rights-based and gender equality-focused including information on how to address harmful gender norms providing tools for girls and young women to be empowered in their relationships; and reducing incidence of early marriage and pregnancy; and 3) develop the capacity of the IPPF Member Associations to support regional programming that is rights-based and youth-centred as part of their capacity as a Center of Excellence. These efforts aim to decrease risks to young women improve their sexual and reproductive health and rights and enhance their life opportunities.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased uptake of quality integrated gender and rights-based youth-centred SRH services for youth in Bolivia Kenya and Togo; and (2) improved quality of youth-centred programming supported by the Centres of Excellence in selected East and West African and Latin American countries.