Member Associations

The Planned Parenthood Association of Sierra Leone (PPASL), established in 1959, works on a range of serious sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues to improve people's health and quality of life. A key focus is to improve access to maternal health care, to reduce the risk of maternal and infant death. PPASL accesses the community through 5 service points, 12 workplace outreach projects, and 3 youth centres, via a 40-strong permanent staff team, backed by nearly 300 volunteers, 9 community-based distributors (CBDs) and a Youth Action Movement membership of 150. There is a 90% prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the country, and finding ways to handle the attendant psychological and physical trauma is one of the organization’s major challenges. Much of PPASL’s work is directed towards behaviour change communication (BCC) among community leaders, police and army personnel and Muslim and Christian groups. Safe motherhood, family planning, and the sensitisation of young people to SRH concerns are also central to the direct services which PPASL provides.    The Member Association works in partnership with government health and development ministries and the Sierra Leone Armed Forces Hospitals. Non-governmental organization (NGO) partners include the Reproductive Health Service, CHASL, MSSL, National AIDS Secretariat/SHARP and the Marie Stopes Society. PPASL receives financial support from UNFPA, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Plan International, MOHS & RH UNIT, Marie Stopes Society, SL Red Cross Society and Action Aid.  Contacts Website: www.ppasl.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/454639337890032/

The Latvian Association for Family Planning & Sexual Health (LAFPSH) focuses on information, education and training activities for health personnel and the general public, and sex education for teachers and young people. The organization has a highly active youth group which runs a safer sex campaign (in conjunction with national media). The group also publishes an advice section in a major youth magazine dealing with problems relating to (for example) puberty, relationships, contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It operates a telephone helpline which is run by young people, for young people. More broadly, LAFPSH runs seminars and workshops on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns such as sexuality and people with disability, gender-based violence and menopause. LAFPSH has significant influence as an advocate at government level, and has been closely involved in developing the national reproductive health programme. This is reflected in the organization’s active programme of information, education and communication (IEC) in conjunction with the Latvian Teachers Association. It has led to the training of over a 1,000 teachers in sex education. A project jointly supported by the Swedish Family Planning Association and the European Commission has enabled LAFPSH to produce and disseminate high quality materials on STIs, condoms and sex education.   Contacts Website: www.papardeszieds.lv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papardeszieds Twitter: https://twitter.com/PapardesZieds