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 Instituto Peruano de Paternidad Responsable (INPARRES) operates an extensive network of over 1,800 service points which include 16 permanent clinics, 1 mobile facility and over 1,000 associated facilities. Its Family Planning Brigades reach out to nearly 500,000 people in remote communities. The organization works with community groups and private doctors to integrate family planning services into maternal and child health programmes, and to conduct wide-ranging information, education and communication (IEC) activities. INPARRES also provides training in the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS, to health workers, teachers and journalists. INPPARES’s far-reaching youth programme employs doctors, social workers, psychologists, health educators, youth volunteers, communications experts and employment counsellors to undertake outreach work in schools, youth centres, communities and a wide range of informal outdoor locations – including beaches, markets and music events. INPARRES holds sexual and reproductive health fairs 3 times a year together with government ministries and campaigning groups such the Ministry of Health, the Homosexual Movement of Lima and Via Libre (an AIDS organization).