Member Associations

Founded in 1995, VerdeFam, Cape Verdean Association for the Protection of the Family, is a private, non-profit institution. Through fixed call centers (CinSaude) and mobile clinical posts, the Association offers a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, from family planning, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and pre-service and postnatal services to users. The team is supported by a large group of volunteers, adults and young people, an executive management and peer educators specially trained in different areas of intervention.  Due to its wide experience in SRH, VERDEFAM has been invited to participate in the discussions and elaborations of the national plans, studies and policies of Reproductive Health in Cape Verde  VERDEFAM works in partnership with several government departments, including the Ministry of Health and Social Security, the Cape Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity (ICIEG), the Committee for the Coordination and fight against HIV and AIDS (CCS -SIDA), the Alcohol and Other Drugs Coordination Commission (CCAD), the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Family and Social Inclusion. It should be noted that Verdefam is a member of the Advisory Council of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP).  As an NGO, it is affiliated with the Cape Verdean NGO Platform and is a member of its Board. The Association is also a permanent member of the Executive Secretariat of the AIDS Combat Coordination Committee - CCS / SIDA, is the Focal Point of the CPLP Civil Society Forum in Cape Verde for Health, Member of the Board of Directors of WANEP - CV, member of the Municipal Health Commission and member of the National Coordination Instance (CCN) of the program financed by the Global Fund. It should also be noted that VerdeFam has Cooperation protocols with the Ministry of Health, with all Health Stations, Central Hospitals and Municipal Councils where it operates.  VERDEFAM receives funds from UNFPA through the Ministry of Health of the Global Fund through the Committee for the Coordination and fight against HIV and AIDS (CCS-SIDA), ICIEG, and the Coalition PLUS. 

Established in 1957 as a grass-root movement, the Mauritius Family Planning & Welfare Association (MFPWA) was one of the earliest organizations in Africa focusing on family planning issues. As the nation struggled to find a way to address pressing population issues, a group of advocates formed MFPWA and started to provide contraceptive services directly to women. In 2018 the MFPWA is governed by an Act of Parliament 2018 as a body corporate.  Today, the organization caters for the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of the whole community. It also has particular strands of activity relating to specific groups including sexually abused children, elderly people, men and marginalized populations on Rodrigues and Agalega Islands.   MFPWA has 30 staff and 50 volunteers and offers services through 2 permanent facilities and several service points.  It also runs a day care centre for infants and children as a social enterprise initiative. The Association delivers services that include family planning, the prevention and management of HIV through voluntary counselling and testing, infertility management, antenatal and post-natal care, post-abortion care, the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and screening for cancers of the reproductive systems in particular breast, cervical and prostate.  The Association began its first rehabilitation of sexually abused children in 2003 and has built a solid reputation in the domain. Services for the rehabilitation of victims of gender based violence had been extended to Rodrigues Island on a pilot basis in 2019. The Member Association also operates peer-educator-led outreach programmes targeting work places, namely: hotels, manufacturing industries, call centres, male-dominated sectors such as transport, police, agriculture and fisheries.   MFPWA has played a critical role in promoting the integration of comprehensive sexuality education into the national school curriculum and its powerful, informed advocacy has been influential in shaping government’s agenda and policies on SRH and population issues. MFPWA partners with and advises government departments which address health, quality of life, women’s rights, child development, family welfare, social security and youth and sports.  MFPWA works with a large number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), para-statal and government institutions and international partners like UNFPA, Help Age International and the European Union.