Rural communities in Uganda have a high prevalence rate of gender inequality, sexual abuse and incest. There is little provision of sexual and reproductive health services and abortion is highly restricted. The Safe Abortion Action Fund, hosted by IPPF, is financing the grassroots organization, VODA, to empower young people as changemakers in their schools and communities. With training and support, peer educators have been educating friends about sexual and reproductive health, and local health providers are serving women in need. Death from unsafe abortion was once a widespread problem but through the power of peer education, these have almost disappeared and community attitudes towards safe abortion has been transformed. View the project and meet the school communities making change

Many sex workers in Uganda end up having unwanted pregnancies often resorting to unsafe abortions. There are many myths and misconceptions about contraception as well as a lack of access. This issue was one of the reasons why Lady Mermaid's Bureau (LMB), a sex workers rights organisation from Kampala, decided to apply for a grant from the Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) in 2013.  Founded in 2002 by a group of former sex workers, the Lady Mermaid's Bureau, the first organization of its kind in the region, works to prevent and reduce unsafe abortions amongst sex workers in Uganda and campaigns to decriminalize abortion and sex work.  The Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) which is hosted by IPPF was set up in 2006 in order to support grass-roots organisations to increase access to safe abortion.  Photography © IPPF/Tommy Trenchard

In the three years since the VODA Uganda project started there have been some incredible results. The project has brought about changes in perceptions about abortion in the community and schools, bringing community leaders and health workers on board, explaining the problems of unsafe abortion and directing girls and women to post-abortion care services. VODA (volunteers of development assistance) is a local, grassroots project funded by the Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF). The Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) which is hosted by IPPF, was set up in 2006 in order to support grass-roots organisations to increase access to safe abortion.  Photography © IPPF/Tommy Trenchard  

Many young immigrants arriving in Sweden have limited or no knowledge about sexual health. The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education in Sweden (RFSU), a member association of IPPF, has been working to help fill the gap by providing sexual health lessons to young asylum seekers with great responses.  Kerstin Isaxon is an expert on comprehensive sexual education at RFSU. She works with educating staff and unaccompanied minors at group homes, as well as at high-school introductory Swedish programmes. She says: “These young people may not have been offered it in school, or their schooling may have been interrupted by war, poverty, persecution, or flight." In her view there is a great need for education about sex and relationships.  REad their stories

For over 60 years, IPPF has been at the vanguard of the family planning movement, championing and fighting for rights‑based, voluntary family planning worldwide. 

Activists around the world took the social media to say, in several languages: "Stop Violence against women and girls!" The IPPF #StopViolence campaign, to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, was launched by IPPF Champion Jessica Pratt and Yvonne Chaka Chaka. For 16 days, women and men shared the aspect of violence against women that affects or hurts them the most, always with a clear message: we're sick of it.