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 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