Member Associations

Founded in 1990, at an early stage in the country’s transition to democracy, the Societatea de Educatie Contraceptiva si Sexuala (SECS) is a true pioneer in the promotion of family planning and sex education. The organization's energies are focused on developing public awareness of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and in advocating for high quality service delivery. SECS has also been closely involved in training sexual and reproductive health (SRH) personnel. SECS promotes sex education through training seminars for teachers, and produces material for schools and for marginalized young people in informal settings. The majority of SECS’ members are under 26 years old. It is now recognized as a national youth organization by the Ministry of Youth and Sport. SECS has worked closely with other IPPF Member Associations across Europe, and with the Ministry of Health to develop an information, education and communication (IEC) project designed to further increase awareness of the importance of SRH to the overall well-being of individuals and to society as a whole.  

The Association Congolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ACBEF) opened its doors for the first time in 1987. Then it was a small operation dedicated to attending to the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of the urban poor. 25 years later, ACBEF reaches out to the whole country through a network of over 100 community-based distributors (CBDs) backed by static clinics and permanent staff. In addition, ACBEF relies on over 1,000 volunteers, including fully-trained peer educators and a Youth Action Movement.  ACBEF provides a comprehensive range of services covering integrated family palnning, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), prevention and management of HIV and AIDS, post-abortion care, antenatal and post-natal care, youth-friendly education and information projects, contraceptive and laboratory services. Stigma and taboos around HIV and AIDS are strong in Congo, and ACBEF is engaged in major re-education and sensitization on this front. ACBEF aims its work at a wide public, with particular emphasis on young people (aged 25 and under), internally displaced people, sex workers and women of child-bearing age. Work occurs in both rural and urban areas. With high visibility in the national media, ABCEF is making major inroads in SRH in a very difficult environment. ABCEF works in close partnership with the government’s ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs, and Gender, and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Jeunesse Action Sida. ABCEF receives financial support from the European Union, UNFPA and the Congolese Government.   Website: http://www.acbef.org/