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 Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA) is the leading agency promoting awareness of family planning and delivering services to the community in Syria which, as international indices show, faces a number of major sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges ,including GBV in particular . SFPA's priority is to deliver high quality, extensive SRH services via its network of 17 static clinics, 3 mobile unit, and 3 associated agencies. A number of these are run in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and the other related government and non government agencies. The Syrian community has historically had limited awareness of family planning, and limited awareness of the personal and economic health benefits achievable through planned spacing of births. Much of SFPA's work to date has involved information, education and communication (IEC) work and advocacy at all levels to create greater understanding and a more favorable environment towards the idea of family planning. With basic knowledge of modern contraception now common (shared by about 94% of women of reproductive age), SFPA is beginning to develop a whole new range of programmes which will enable women and young people (in particular) to make informed (and economically beneficial) choices about their own SRH and fertility. SFPA's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/syrianfamilyplanningassociation