Member Associations

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/

Riksförbundet För Sexuell Upplysning (RFSU) has 17 local branches, 19 member organizations, 1 clinic and 1 'open house' youth clinic. RFSU works extensively in education, campaigning, advocacy, research, training, and in the international sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) arena. The organization has been especially active in the field of counselling for people with learning difficulties, visual impairment and disability, and it runs courses for volunteers working with these groups. RFSU runs seminars for the general public on the pursuit of pleasure, gender roles and male and female language, and clinics for young men, who are generally thought to be overlooked when it comes to talking about their sexuality. These clinics are run by male staff and registered nurses. RFSU conducts outreach activities at summer seaside resorts, music festivals and other youth events. This work is carried out by trained peer educators and cover sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV and AIDS, and other SRHR issues. The organization produces a quarterly bulletin which is widely read, especially by the media, and a periodical entitled `Reports on Sexuality and Reproduction'. RFSU's international activities include joint projects with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in Tanzania andZambia, focused on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of young people. These projects aim to increase knowledge, to promote openness and acceptance of young peoples’ sexual activity, and to improve access to contraceptive services. Other international projects focus on communicating the Swedish experience of sex education, and on providing input into the development of family planning in Russia and the Baltic States. Contacts Website: http://www.rfsu.se/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rfsu.se/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RFSU