Member Associations

When it was founded in 1999, the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) focused on providing family planning services. As the organization has evolved, it has both refined and expanded its operation. Today, FPAM targets young people primarily, and reaches out to under-served rural communities. As a result, it operates 64 service points, including 53 mobile sexual and reproductive health (SRH) facilities and 4 static clinics. Its community-based distributor/services (CBDs/CBSs) profile is also very strong with 65 additional delivery points. As ever with IPPF Member Associations, the mix of outlets and approaches is very much led by the particular demographic and geographic needs of the country. FPAM also provides youth-friendly SRH information, education and behaviour change communication materials to young people at 4 youth centres, and through schools. Peer educators use group discussions, theatre performances, publications and audio-visual materials produced by community reproductive health promoters to pass on the message about good SRH practice and access to resources. The distribution of contraceptives, pregnancy testing, the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV are core to FPAM’s clinic activity. For its successful operation, the organization depends on a team of 46 full-time staff and over 600 volunteers. Over the years, FPAM has forged partnerships with health, family and youth departments in government, to advocate forward-thinking national SRH policies. It works with a variety of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including the Malawi Girl Guides Association and Banja La Mtsogolo. Financing support comes from UNFPA, IPPF’s Japan Trust Fund, the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP), UNICEF, National AIDS Commission, GTZ, and Youth Incentives. FPAM also networks with other SRH-focused groups, particularly in the fields of HIV and AIDS and youth issues.

Pro familia advocates for the rights to individual self-determination in sexuality and family planning and is committed nationally and internationally to sexual and reproductive health and rights. For pro familia, sexual and reproductive rights and health rank among human rights. pro familia is the leading professional association on sexuality and partnership in Germany. With information and counselling services, pro familia wants to contribute to women, men and young people being able to live their sexuality and sexual orientation in a self-determined way, to parenthood being a free decision and to a satisfying sexual life without fear of unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and to people being able to participate in scientific progress. The services offered in the 180 counselling centres nationwide include counselling, information and age-appropriate sex education on partnership, sexuality, sexual orientation, contraception, pregnancy, family, unfulfilled desire to have children and reproductive medicine, prenatal diagnostics, birth, financial support, unwanted pregnancy as well as separation and divorce. Pro familia publishes information brochures for clients and specialist publications for doctors, counsellors and educators, organises specialist conferences, lobbies for sexual and reproductive health and rights and offers a wide range of further and advanced training. In the field of sexual education, it is committed to human rights education.