| 31 March 2016
Association Congolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial
The Association Congolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ACBEF) opened its doors for the first time in 1987. Then it was a small operation dedicated to attending to the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of the urban poor. 25 years later, ACBEF reaches out to the whole country through a network of over 100 community-based distributors (CBDs) backed by static clinics and permanent staff. In addition, ACBEF relies on over 1,000 volunteers, including fully-trained peer educators and a Youth Action Movement. ACBEF provides a comprehensive range of services covering integrated family planning, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), prevention and management of HIV and AIDS, post-abortion care, antenatal and post-natal care, youth-friendly education and information projects, contraceptive and laboratory services. Stigma and taboos around HIV and AIDS are strong in Congo, and ACBEF is engaged in major re-education and sensitization on this front. ACBEF aims its work at a wide public, with particular emphasis on young people (aged 25 and under), internally displaced people, sex workers and women of child-bearing age. Work occurs in both rural and urban areas. With high visibility in the national media, ABCEF is making major inroads in SRH in a very difficult environment. ABCEF works in close partnership with the government’s ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs, and Gender, and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Jeunesse Action Sida. ABCEF receives financial support from the European Union, UNFPA and the Congolese Government.
| 31 March 2016
Kazakhstan Association on Sexual and Reproductive Health (KMPA)
The Kazakhstan Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health (KMPA) was established in 1996. In 2002 KMPA became a full Member Association of IPPF. The organization currently has 9 branches and 4 regional offices in Almaty, Kostanay, Shymkent and Nur-Sultan. In total, there are 13 branches of KMPA. The organization’s activity is based on protecting the right of youth, men, and women to quality medical services and information in the field of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). KMPA conducts training of youth to prevent underage pregnancy, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. In addition, KMPA implements projects on family planning and promoting contraceptive methods to prevent unintended pregnancies. KMPA focuses on the following goals: (1) advocacy of sexual and reproductive rights; (2) elimination of unsafe abortion; (3) promoting condom use to prevent HIV/AIDS and decreasing stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS; (4) educating youth and teenagers on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) to allow choice and safe relations; (5) advocating for access to SRH services; (6) training healthcare professionals on family planning, contraception, safe abortion, antenatal care and consultation skills; and (7) training of teachers on SRHR, CSE, prevention of SGBV and promoting gender equality. KMPA seeks to improve the reproductive health of the population of Kazakhstan, especially the socially vulnerable, the poor, and young people, by protecting the basic reproductive rights of women, men, and young people, ensuring free and informed choices regarding SRH, providing comprehensive sexual education and high-quality information, and promoting access to SRH services. KMPA bases its activities on the principles of gender equality, freedom of decision-making and voluntary participation.