Member Associations

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.   

The Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial (MFPF) is a feminist confederacy of over 70 member associations covering most of the French territory. They provide comprehensive sexuality education, counseling and information on contraception, abortion, HIV/STI and sexual and affective issues. Furthermore, they listen to, help and work with survivors of gender-based violence. Half of their beneficiaries are under the age of 20. MFPF and its members also run training courses and produce material for medical and educational communities covering a whole range of SRHR issues. A large number of member associations run health clinics where contraception and abortion services are delivered. MFPF advocates for longer delays and improved access to abortion, and it has been highly active in challenging opposition to fertility regulation. At the European and international scales, the organisation invests in three main activities. First, MFPF advocates for SRHR, women's rights and LGBTQI+ rights. Then, it conducts solidarity campaigns with immigrant women, and with sexual and reproductive health organizations in other European countries (such as Poland) where women's sexual and reproductive rights are violated. Finally, the French organization takes part in international programmes in solidarity with organizations in Africa in order to learn from one another, to share practices and to develop a common political agenda to improve access to SRHR.