Member Associations

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.   

The Foundation for Research on Women’s Health, Productivity and the Environment (BAFROW) is a non-profit organization that complements the development efforts of the Government of The Gambia and other national partners through a holistic and integrated Social and Economic Empowerment Program geared towards improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable and marginalized people, especially women and girls, in targeted rural and urban communities. The overall goal of our program is to empower communities to take charge of their health and economic well-being, with emphasis on their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). BAFROW’s approach Our approach is holistic, multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral and based on the principle that sound health is closely linked with economic well-being, knowledge and skills, conducive physical and social environments, good personal and environmental hygiene, and the absence of all cultural practices that affect the health and well-being of women and girls, thereby bridging gaps and creating linkages between these issues. Projects BAFROW’s main projects are: 1) Health promotion and health service delivery 2) Combatting practices that are harmful to health including female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C) 3) HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support 4) Obstetric fistula treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration, and 5) Women’s economic empowerment and the environment Service delivery Our hospital, BAFROW Medical Centre which is operated under our Health promotion and health service delivery project, is registered as a commercial entity. The service delivery points of our two functional health facilities are: Serrekunda, Kanifing Municipality for BAFROW Medical Centre; and Mandinaba Village, Brikama Local Government Area for BAFROW’s Well Woman and Family Clinic.  BAFROW provides clinical services under the following specialized areas: Family Medicine Internal Medicine Cardiology Infant and Child Welfare/ Paediatrics Obstetrics and Gynaecology Specifically on SRHR, BAFRWO provides: Maternity care and services Fertility treatment (for both men and women) Abortion-related services Contraceptives & emergency contraceptives Sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment HIV testing; referrals for HIV treatment Care services for rape including PEP Screening and treatment or referrals if necessary for other diseases of the reproductive system Obstetric fistula reparation surgery, and rehabilitation and reintegration services Information, education and counselling for all the above and on other SRH issues Email: [email protected]