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Young People

Articles by Young People

Sports edutainment
04 March 2024

Youth-centered approach is essential to our work

In Ghana, we live in communities where some sexual and reproductive health issues are not openly discussed. These issues are stigmatized. I grew up in a neighborhood where teenage pregnancy is prevalent. I did not know much about sexual and reproductive health and rights. However, when I went to the university, I was introduced to the Youth Action Movement (YAM). By joining this movement, I learnt more about myself and everything a young person should know about their sexual and reproductive health. A few years later, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana advertised for a Youth Action Movement coordinator. I applied and got hired. To be eligible, I must have been volunteering with YAM for at least 2 years and be under the age of 25. Once an individual is beyond the age limit of the movement, another young person needs to come on board. One main essence of this position is to build the capacity of young people and absorb them into the workforce. This rule is key to understanding the role of the YAM Coordinator in our organization. In fact, to coordinate a youth group, you should be a young person. Who knows better what young people need than young people themselves? As a Youth Coordinator, I work to build youth capacity, strengthen meaningful youth participation and provide a platform for young people to enhance their skill set. I am very proud to work for Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana. We are a big organization advancing the SRHR rights of young, marginalized and vulnerable people. .  Currently, YAM has over 15 branches and over 700 volunteers. Our Member Association was set up in 1967 to initially provide family planning services to the people of Ghana however, with time, the association provides more SRHR services than just Family Planning (FP) services to all . Our mission is to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services to all people in Ghana, especially the young and vulnerable, in order to improve their quality of life.

International Education Day
24 January 2024

Aik Easa: Marriage and Sexuality of Maldivian Youths

Aik Ahmed Easa, 26, has been involved with IPPF’s Member Association in the Maldives - the Society for Health Education (SHE) - since he was just 12 years old. Introduced to the organization by a friend, Aik was invited to join a peer educator program with his older brother, who was 13 at the time. Aik shares his history with SHE, “I started working as a peer educator, and traveled a lot around the Maldives. After that, I went into training other peer educators”. Although he was one of the youngest volunteers to join the program, he is also one of the most dedicated and is currently on the Board of SHE. After spending some time overseas for his higher education, Aik returned to the Maldives and decided to run for the SHE board. He recalled, “It was an easy win because at that point I had been with the organization for 12 years. I decided that I would not dilute the number of youths on the board. Even though I was a youth then, I decided to run against the older members for a general seat and reserve the youth quota for the juniors I had trained. That’s how we have the majority of youth on the board now”.

Director general with SIPPA youth volunteers

IPPF’s Director General Visits Solomon Islands and Australia

The Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Dr Alvaro Bermejo, is in Australia this week for high level meetings with Australian Government Ministers and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). He is joined by Ms Tomoka Fukuda, Regional Director of IPPF’s East and Southeast Asia and Oceania Region (ESEAOR) and Ms Phoebe Ryan, IPPF’s Chief of the Australia and New Zealand Office. In Australia, Dr Bermejo has been privileged to meet with Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy. Together, they discussed how Australia can play a leadership role in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights through Australia’s international development cooperation. Last week, Dr Bermejo and Ms Fukuda visited IPPF’s Member Association in Solomon Islands, the Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association (SIPPA). In Solomon Islands, they witnessed SIPPA’s life-saving and critical work delivering sexual and reproductive healthcare on the ground, including mobile outreach in remote communities of Malaita Province. Australia has been a long-standing and critical partner to IPPF, supporting programming to reach women, girls, and marginalized groups across the development–humanitarian continuum around the world, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific. In December 2022, IPPF and DFAT signed a new four-year global funding agreement for 2023 to 2026, part of which includes dedicated support to programming across the Pacific. AUD 19 million is dedicated as global funding towards the delivery of IPPF’s Strategy 2028, along with a further AUD 5.7 million to support the delivery of IPPF’s Pacific Niu Vaka Strategy, Phase 2. This generous investment will enable IPPF to reach an anticipated 1.8 million people in the Pacific over the next six years with 4.2 million essential sexual and reproductive services. IPPF is proud to stand alongside our Pacific MAs as they continue to advocate for the health and rights of those most underserved and excluded, reaching communities with essential information and high quality, person-centred sexual and reproductive health care.     In 2021, IPPF reached over 72 million people around the world with more than 155 million sexual and reproductive health services and contributed to 121 policy and legislative changes in defence of SRHR. IPPF is grateful for Australia’s ongoing support in enabling this impact. IPPF’s Director General, Alvaro Bermejo shared: “IPPF are delighted to be working with the Australian Government to continue improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and girls across the globe. We are grateful to them for helping us deliver more services and support at a time when inequalities are deepening, the opposition is growing, and humanitarian crises continue to place the lives of millions, particularly women and girls, at risk. As we look to build the future with our new strategy, continued support from global partners is crucial to achieving a world where everyone has access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. We hope DFAT’s strong global commitment will inspire other global leaders to take action.” For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on [email protected] or Phoebe Ryan on [email protected]    About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.  For 70 years, IPPF has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.

A woman smiles during a youth session
13 January 2022

Pakistan: Reaching young people with sexual health services

An estimated 64% of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, and the country now has more young people than it has in its history. In light of this, it is important that policies are in place that can effectively respond to the needs of Pakistani youth.  While government policies are increasingly considering youth but in areas such as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), policies remain virtually non-existent. The sexual reproductive health of young people continues to be a taboo due to existing and widely entrenched cultural, social, and religious belief that young people – particularly those who are unmarried – have no need for SRHR information and services. Multi-approach techniques for youth Young people not only need access to comprehensive SRHR information but also services that cater to their needs. Through the WISH program*, IPPF’s Member Association R-FPAP has implemented many different approaches to reach young people with SRHR information and services. Through these approaches the programme was able to reach 8.3% of youth (of the total clients served) between January 2019 and August 2021, increasing from 2.5% in the first quarter of the programme, reaching a high of 10.2% in the second to last quarter (+7.7%).  Further, there was a 203% increase in total SRHR services provided to youth under 20 between 2018 (pre-WISH) and 2021. 

Sports edutainment
04 March 2024

Youth-centered approach is essential to our work

In Ghana, we live in communities where some sexual and reproductive health issues are not openly discussed. These issues are stigmatized. I grew up in a neighborhood where teenage pregnancy is prevalent. I did not know much about sexual and reproductive health and rights. However, when I went to the university, I was introduced to the Youth Action Movement (YAM). By joining this movement, I learnt more about myself and everything a young person should know about their sexual and reproductive health. A few years later, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana advertised for a Youth Action Movement coordinator. I applied and got hired. To be eligible, I must have been volunteering with YAM for at least 2 years and be under the age of 25. Once an individual is beyond the age limit of the movement, another young person needs to come on board. One main essence of this position is to build the capacity of young people and absorb them into the workforce. This rule is key to understanding the role of the YAM Coordinator in our organization. In fact, to coordinate a youth group, you should be a young person. Who knows better what young people need than young people themselves? As a Youth Coordinator, I work to build youth capacity, strengthen meaningful youth participation and provide a platform for young people to enhance their skill set. I am very proud to work for Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana. We are a big organization advancing the SRHR rights of young, marginalized and vulnerable people. .  Currently, YAM has over 15 branches and over 700 volunteers. Our Member Association was set up in 1967 to initially provide family planning services to the people of Ghana however, with time, the association provides more SRHR services than just Family Planning (FP) services to all . Our mission is to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services to all people in Ghana, especially the young and vulnerable, in order to improve their quality of life.

International Education Day
24 January 2024

Aik Easa: Marriage and Sexuality of Maldivian Youths

Aik Ahmed Easa, 26, has been involved with IPPF’s Member Association in the Maldives - the Society for Health Education (SHE) - since he was just 12 years old. Introduced to the organization by a friend, Aik was invited to join a peer educator program with his older brother, who was 13 at the time. Aik shares his history with SHE, “I started working as a peer educator, and traveled a lot around the Maldives. After that, I went into training other peer educators”. Although he was one of the youngest volunteers to join the program, he is also one of the most dedicated and is currently on the Board of SHE. After spending some time overseas for his higher education, Aik returned to the Maldives and decided to run for the SHE board. He recalled, “It was an easy win because at that point I had been with the organization for 12 years. I decided that I would not dilute the number of youths on the board. Even though I was a youth then, I decided to run against the older members for a general seat and reserve the youth quota for the juniors I had trained. That’s how we have the majority of youth on the board now”.

Director general with SIPPA youth volunteers

IPPF’s Director General Visits Solomon Islands and Australia

The Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Dr Alvaro Bermejo, is in Australia this week for high level meetings with Australian Government Ministers and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). He is joined by Ms Tomoka Fukuda, Regional Director of IPPF’s East and Southeast Asia and Oceania Region (ESEAOR) and Ms Phoebe Ryan, IPPF’s Chief of the Australia and New Zealand Office. In Australia, Dr Bermejo has been privileged to meet with Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy. Together, they discussed how Australia can play a leadership role in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights through Australia’s international development cooperation. Last week, Dr Bermejo and Ms Fukuda visited IPPF’s Member Association in Solomon Islands, the Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association (SIPPA). In Solomon Islands, they witnessed SIPPA’s life-saving and critical work delivering sexual and reproductive healthcare on the ground, including mobile outreach in remote communities of Malaita Province. Australia has been a long-standing and critical partner to IPPF, supporting programming to reach women, girls, and marginalized groups across the development–humanitarian continuum around the world, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific. In December 2022, IPPF and DFAT signed a new four-year global funding agreement for 2023 to 2026, part of which includes dedicated support to programming across the Pacific. AUD 19 million is dedicated as global funding towards the delivery of IPPF’s Strategy 2028, along with a further AUD 5.7 million to support the delivery of IPPF’s Pacific Niu Vaka Strategy, Phase 2. This generous investment will enable IPPF to reach an anticipated 1.8 million people in the Pacific over the next six years with 4.2 million essential sexual and reproductive services. IPPF is proud to stand alongside our Pacific MAs as they continue to advocate for the health and rights of those most underserved and excluded, reaching communities with essential information and high quality, person-centred sexual and reproductive health care.     In 2021, IPPF reached over 72 million people around the world with more than 155 million sexual and reproductive health services and contributed to 121 policy and legislative changes in defence of SRHR. IPPF is grateful for Australia’s ongoing support in enabling this impact. IPPF’s Director General, Alvaro Bermejo shared: “IPPF are delighted to be working with the Australian Government to continue improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and girls across the globe. We are grateful to them for helping us deliver more services and support at a time when inequalities are deepening, the opposition is growing, and humanitarian crises continue to place the lives of millions, particularly women and girls, at risk. As we look to build the future with our new strategy, continued support from global partners is crucial to achieving a world where everyone has access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. We hope DFAT’s strong global commitment will inspire other global leaders to take action.” For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on [email protected] or Phoebe Ryan on [email protected]    About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.  For 70 years, IPPF has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.

A woman smiles during a youth session
13 January 2022

Pakistan: Reaching young people with sexual health services

An estimated 64% of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, and the country now has more young people than it has in its history. In light of this, it is important that policies are in place that can effectively respond to the needs of Pakistani youth.  While government policies are increasingly considering youth but in areas such as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), policies remain virtually non-existent. The sexual reproductive health of young people continues to be a taboo due to existing and widely entrenched cultural, social, and religious belief that young people – particularly those who are unmarried – have no need for SRHR information and services. Multi-approach techniques for youth Young people not only need access to comprehensive SRHR information but also services that cater to their needs. Through the WISH program*, IPPF’s Member Association R-FPAP has implemented many different approaches to reach young people with SRHR information and services. Through these approaches the programme was able to reach 8.3% of youth (of the total clients served) between January 2019 and August 2021, increasing from 2.5% in the first quarter of the programme, reaching a high of 10.2% in the second to last quarter (+7.7%).  Further, there was a 203% increase in total SRHR services provided to youth under 20 between 2018 (pre-WISH) and 2021.