

| 31 March 2016
Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille
The Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille (ABPF) has been operating for almost 40 years. ABPF offers family planning, ante-natal and post-abortion care, infertility treatment, screening of cancers of the reproductive system, and management of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV and AIDS). Its service points include permanent and mobile clinics. ABPF is focused on reaching marginalized groups such as prisoners, sex workers, refugees and internally displaced persons. The majority of clients are estimated to be poor, marginalized, socially excluded and/or under-served. To reduce the national maternal mortality rate, ABPF operates an effective community-based obstetric and antenatal care service in 16 villages, using traditional birth attendants and volunteer health workers. ABPF also runs a locally-based service for young people which involves hundreds of community-based distributors (CBDs) and peer educators providing young people with sexual and reproductive health information, condoms and counselling services. In acknowledgment of ABPF’s expertise and accomplishments, the Government of Benin invited the organization to become a member of the technical committee (in the Ministry of Planning) that drafts reproductive health policies: the Population Policy, the Family Health Policy, HIV and AIDS policies and the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy. Whilst ABPF has recorded major advances in sexual and reproductive health, there are still very significant challenges as the figures for lifetime risk of maternal death, child mortality rate and unmet need for contraception of illustrate. Driving the work of ABPF is a large and dedicated team of hundreds of volunteers. There’s a Youth Action Movement which draws on the skills of young people. ABPF works in partnership with a range of government organisations, including parliament, the Ministère de la Famille, the Ministère de la Jeunesse, and the Ministère du Plan. Funders include USAID. Non-goverrnmental organizations working with ABPF include the Country Co-ordinating Mechanism for health and sexual and reproductive health.

| 31 March 2016
Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association
The Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992, registered in public benefit. Its activities are oriented towards several main areas of work – access to health services, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), health and sexuality education, advocacy, prevention of trafficking of human beings, sustainable development policies and prevention of HIV/AIDS and STI. The target groups of the organization are various and include mainstream young people, state, municipality and school authorities, health professionals, NGO and community leaders, teachers, journalists. BFPA puts special focus on marginalized and socially deprived groups – Roma, other minorities, blind and deaf children, young people with disabilities, rural women, children in institutions, young people with criminal record. BFPA is expert and innovator and introduced for the first time in the country the concept of peer education, youth friendly services, mobile services, Roma health mediators. BFPA staff, Management Board and volunteers have different professional backgrounds. This diversity of professional and social expertise helps to implement successfully over 75 projects, supported by over 50 different donors. These projects assure ongoing health, social and educational activities in Sofia and county-wide with the support of BFPA branches and various partner networks in the country and abroad. The interventions include national-wide campaigns, health services and screenings, wide range of trainings, researches, peer education etc.