Member Associations

Guinea-Bissau is one tenth the size of its neighbour Guinea-Conakry, but its people suffer equally distressing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems. The Associação Guineense para o Bem Estar Familiar was established in 1993 to address the major issue in family planning: equipping couples to make active, informed choices about the number of children they would have, and when they would have them.   Since then, the Member Association’s work has expanded to embrace a full range of SRH concerns. It provides young people with information, education and communication (IEC) and behaviour change communication (BCC) around sexual and reproductive health; it works on the prevention, diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) includind HIV; it provides post-abortion care and support; it provides care for victims of gender-based violence (GBV); and it advocates strongly at government level for legislation to prevent GBV. Associação Guineense para o Bem Estar Familiar achieved these results through a small but committed team that operate over hundred service points, including static clinics and community-based service points. Despite the relatively small size of the organization, it is growing rapidly with strong central support from IPPF, influential government partnerships, and backing from non-governmental organizations including UNFPA.

The Slovak Family Planning Association (Slovak FPA), Spoločnosť pre plánované rodičovstvo, is an organization comprising physicians, nurses, teachers, psychologists, journalists and lawyers who work in sexual and reproductive health. Its mission is to promote awareness of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues and to defend the individual’s basic human right to SRH. Slovak FPA has 3 main goals: To support, defend and monitor compliance with the basic human right of all men and women to make free and informed choices with respect to their own SRH To initiate changes in the education system with regard to SRH To establish Slovak FPA as a multi-disciplinary NGO charged with coordinating the delivery of SRH right across the community Cultural and religious constraints on the pursuit of this agenda are substantial. Slovak FPA is therefore very active in organizing conferences, press conferences and high-profile mass media activities to increase awareness of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among both professionals and the public. Slovak FPA organizes the training of teachers for sex education, and the training of volunteer-advisors for a telephone hotline which provides help and support to abused children. It runs lectures for nurses and physicians in postgraduate courses, undertakes targeted work with marginalized Roma communities, publishes a quarterly information bulletin, and works closely with international agencies such as WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UNHCR to promote family planning both in Slovakia and abroad.  Some of the past projects of SFPA are: Improving Women’s Health through Sustainable Reproductive Health Care Services Education of nurses in the HIV prevention Roma project VISION 2000 – improving access of marginalized groups to reproductive health services Sexuality education – creation of methodical handbook for comprehensive sexuality education Gender mainstreaming in services of reproductive health Sexuality education in the context of human rights    Website: www.rodicovstvo.sk