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 Bahrain Family Planning Association (BRHA) was founded in 1975, the organization has played a critical role in promoting reproductive health. Bahrain and in achieving government support to adopt necessary policies on reproductive health (RH) including the incorporation of (RH) into the school curriculum. BRHA receives support from the ministries of health, social development, labour, and education, and it partners closely with the upper and lower government house (the parliament and the Shoura Council). BRHA operates a highly successful telephone hotline service which provides counseling and advise on reproductive health to callers from both Bahrain and neighboring countries. The very particular needs and the constraints in Bahrain mean the BRHA is highly focused on advocacy and is limited in its capacity to deliver direct education (RH) services. However, it does run strong information, education and communication (IEC) programs (targeted towards young people and women) and extensive education and literacy initiatives which are particularly designed to reach out to all community groups.