As part of efforts to meet the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Young People in Nigeria, Women Friendly Initiative (WFI) with support from Management Sciences for Health (MSH) announce the commencement of a 12-month Advocacy project in Benue, Nassarawa, and Kwara States, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Adolescents in Nigeria are caught between tradition and changing cultures brought about by urbanization, globalized economies and a media-saturated environment resulting in increased rates of unprotected sexual activity, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and HIV/AIDS. These negative outcomes buttress the fact that at a minimum, all adolescents require age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education achievable through access to youth-friendly health services designed to promote their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
To this end, WFI is working with 12-member organizations of the Novel Association for Youth Advocacy (NAYA), a coalition of youth-serving organisations, to implement advocacy activities focused on the implementation of the “National Guidelines for Integrating Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services into Primary Health Care facilities in Nigeria,” and the “National Guidelines on Promoting Access of Young people to Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services in Primary Health Care facilities in Nigeria.” The technical skills of the participating 12-member organisations will be strengthened through capacity building for effective advocacy, including for domestic resource mobilization, and accountability with a view to equipping them with skills to advocate and hold stakeholders accountable for the implementation of the 2 policy documents.
By project end, the capacities of selected organisations would have been built for sustained advocacy and stakeholder accountability to improve Adolescent Health in the 4 project locations.
Signed,
Frances Teshoma,
Program Manager
