Youth-Focused Reproductive Health And Family Planning Services

Why focus on youth?

The largest generation of adolescents in history—1.2 billion strong—is preparing to enter adulthood. Their health status and readiness to take on adult roles and responsibilities will help determine their future and the future of their countries. Many countries, however, are not adequately addressing the reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) needs of youth. Their access to RH/FP information and services is restricted by culture, laws, policies, and lack of knowledge. As a result, girls too often become pregnant and give birth before they are physically and socially mature, which can result in significant health and social problems—pregnancy complications, unsafe abortion, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, interrupted education, and limited job opportunities. Young people are also at high risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is possible to reverse this trend, however, as young people tend to be receptive to respectful behavior-change messages. Their energy and enthusiasm can also be directed toward improving the RH of their communities.

How does ESD improve adolescent reproductive health?

ESD integrates youth components throughout its activities, from ensuring the availability of FP to postpartum women to preventing gender-based violence. ESD also implements comprehensive youth-focused programs that address the information, service, and policy needs of youth. For example, it implements interventions used in its predecessor project in Egypt to reach young people of all ages, including university-based peer education, RH/FP hotlines, puppet shows for young children and their mothers, and “youth weeks,” which introduce young people to RH/FP issues and community service. Building on the achievements of predecessor projects Advance Africa and CATALYST, as well as other USAID projects, ESD has the expertise to deliver quality, age-appropriate RH/FP information and/or services to young people—from school children to out-of-school youth to married adolescents—using a variety of promising and tested approaches.

>> Promising and Tested Approaches