Member Associations

Since it was founded in 1990, the Association Mauritanienne pour la Promotion de la Famille (AMPF)  has focused primarily on sensitizing both the general population and the country’s political and religious leaders to the personal and economic benefits of family planning, and on promoting provision of proper sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. AMPF provides SRH services including family planning (FP), antenatal and post-natal counselling, mother and child immunization, paediatrics, incomplete abortion care and referral, HIV and AIDs protection including PMTCT, and general SRH counselling.  Sensitization and awareness creation is indirectly carried out through children’s vaccination clinics, through programmes providing nutritional advice, and through general maternal and child health services (a critical requirement in a country subject to high levels of maternal and child mortality). AMPF is committed to improving women’s status as a fundamental principle if the nation’s demographic circumstances are to change for the better. Spreading awareness of the benefits of birth spacing is an important component in this, as is the promotion of economic opportunities for women. AMPF has been involved in the creation of a number of craft-based co-operatives in pursuit of this aim. Special efforts have been made to reach marginalized and under-served populations.   AMPF’s efforts in advocacy and policy dialogue contributed to enacting the Reproductive Health Act, a Religious judgment outlawing female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices. AMPF enjoys a good reputation and has strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Health, other CSOs, and with the UNFPA.   Website: http://maurifemme.org/Ong/ampf.html  

Associação Para o Planeamento da Família (APF) is a vibrant and dynamic Member Association which has played a key role in advancing the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) agenda in the country. It has 10 regional delegations operated by volunteer staff, and works closely with health and education professionals, and with professionals engaged in community intervention, particularly with reference to the SRH needs of young people. Information, education, training and advocacy are central to APF’s work. APF runs programmes in fields such as sexual orientation, early pregnancy and motherhood, teenage parenthood, abortion, contraception, male SRH, and the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV and AIDS. The Member Association played a crucial role in a long campaign to legalize abortion in the country. A bill to allow abortions up until the 10thweek of pregnancy finally received parliamentary approval in 2007. APF manages a resource centre, which has an extensive library of information and publications on SRH. It operates a telephone helpline (Sexuality Online) which provides information, support, counselling and referral services for young people, and a second helpline dedicated to assisting individuals in need of advice over unwanted pregnancy. Over the years, the Member Association’s service delivery and advocacy work has made an invaluable contribution to improvements in SRH and maternal and child health and to contraceptive awareness, understanding and use. It has also helped to produce a significant reduction in numbers of teenage pregnancies.     Contacts Website: www.apf.pt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apfamilia