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The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has launched the CAD48 million "EmpowHER" project in partnership with Global Affairs Canada. The initiative aims to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for marginalised women, girls, and underserved communities across at least 11 countries. EmpowHER will enhance access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care, deliver comprehensive sexuality education, and combat growing threats to SRHR through policy reform and advocacy. This partnership aligns with Canada’s commitment to gender equality and empowering young people to make informed choices about their well-being. Ensuring Inclusive SRHR Delivery for Women, Girls and Marginalise Communities (EmpowHER), is a large-scale initiative that will strengthen access to SRHR for the most marginalised and underserved groups, particularly women and girls. It will support millions of women, girls, and vulnerable communities in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mauritania, Sudan, Zambia, Uganda, Togo, Colombia, Ecuador and Pakistan. Through an intersectional, human rights-based feminist approach, EmpowHER will increase access to much needed rights-based SRH care, including access to person-centred safe and legal abortion care. It will deliver critical comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) to empower young people to act on their sexual and reproductive rights (SRR) by expanding their access to quality, rights-based, and gender-sensitive CSE. Furthermore, this initiative will also counteract the growing threats to women’s and girls' sexual and reproductive health rights, by providing urgent support to improve policies and strengthen the capacity of movements and coalitions. Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of IPPF, emphasised the critical need to protect and expand access to SRHR. “This new project will continue our mission of empowering women and girls, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa, to make informed decisions about their bodies. We will not only increase access to much needed SRHR services including safe and legal abortion but will also deliver CSE to young people and tackle the rollback of SRHR rights.” “We’re grateful to the Canadian Government for their support and continued partnership.” The funding, unveiled during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), is part of Canada’s 10-Year Commitment to Global Health and Rights and aligns with its Feminist International Assistance Policy. Canada is committed to securing a more gender-equal world in which young people are empowered to exercise their rights and make free and informed decisions about their sexuality and well-being. "By supporting the EmpowHER initiative, Canada is taking another step towards achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls, in all their diversity, worldwide. This project will not only improve access to vital sexual and reproductive health services, but also ensure that the most marginalized communities can exercise their rights and make informed choices about their health and future. Together, we will strengthen partnerships that champion these rights and protect the progress we've made", said the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, Canada.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is pleased to share that last month it was awarded the USAID-funded, five-year, $45 million Expand Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health (ExpandPF) Activity following a competitive process. ExpandPF will scale up evidence-based family planning practices, including postpartum family planning and engaging community health workers, to improve access to and use of voluntary family planning services in poor and underserved urban and peri-urban populations. ExpandPF envisions a local-partner forward strategy and close engagement with young people for implementation in Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania, and Togo. IPPF brings strong experience improving access to client-centered, quality family planning and sexual and reproductive health care services as allowed under USAID regulations and local law. Its structure is designed to advance locally led development, engaging women and youth while reaching underserved and marginalized communities. Hortense Angoran Benie, MD, MPH will lead ExpandPF and has significant management experience with complex public health programs across West and Central Africa. IPPF’s partners include Options Consultancy Services, Etrilabs, and IPPF member associations in each of the four implementing countries: Association Ivoirienne pour le Bien-Être Familial (AIBEF), Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Être Familial (ATBEF), Association Mauritanienne pour la Promotion de la Famille (AMPF), and Cameroon National Association for Family Welfare (CAMNAFAW). The team also includes Viamo as sub-contractor. Through ExpandPF, the consortium will ultimately assist individuals to make voluntary, informed decisions about family planning with access to contraceptive methods and services. “IPPF is very proud to receive the ExpandPF award,” said Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, IPPF Director General. “It affirms our commitment to West and Central Africa and expanding contraceptive choice to underserved and marginalized populations. IPPF believes that by working with our esteemed partners, we can advance meaningful progress across the region.” "ExpandPF aligns well with IPPF's strategy of prioritizing access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable women and girls in West and Central Africa,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, IPPF Africa Regional Director. USAID administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide. The Agency is committed to helping countries meet the family planning and reproductive health needs of their people through voluntarism and informed choice.