Strengthening Health Systems for Integrated and Transformative SRHR (SHIFTS)

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗦

Strengthening Health Systems for Integrated and Transformative SRHR (SHIFTS) is a 7-year initiative that aims to enhance the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for women, adolescents and marginalized groups by ensuring they can exercise their rights and access essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care, free from stigma, discrimination and systemic barriers.

Donor: Global Affairs Canada 

Implementing MAs: Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille (ABPF), Associação Moçambicana para o Desenvolvimento da Família (AMODEFA) and Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN). 

When: 21 March 2025 -31 March 2032 (7 years) 

Where:  

• Benin – Bohicon and Parakou 
• Mozambique – Zambezia and Gaza  
• Nigeria – Adamawa, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, Niger, and Oyo  

The SHIFTS Approach 

Women, girls and marginalized communities in Mozambique, Benin and Nigeria face persistent gender and health inequities such as high maternal mortality, unmet need for contraception, and higher-than-global-average adolescent birth rates. These issues are compounded by harmful social and gender norms, restricted decision-making power of women and girls over their bodies, and limited integration of SRH care and services into primary healthcare. Additionally, unsafe abortion remains a major contributor to maternal mortality, with stigma, misinformation, and lack of access to safe abortion care, making it more difficult for women and adolescents to access the health services they need. 

The SHIFTS project responds to these challenges through a three-pillared approach. 

1. Tackling gaps in health systems by scaling up and/or implementing cluster models of care to deliver integrated SRH care. 

2. Addressing social and gendered barriers to accessing SRHR care through comprehensive sexuality education and community sensitization. 

3. Fostering enabling policy and legal environments that emphasize supporting duty bearers in meeting their obligations and accompanying rights holders in claiming their rights. 

SHIFTS is being implemented in partnership with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) and experienced Member Associations (MAs) in Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria. Grounded in and guided by human-rights based approaches and feminist principles, the project’s partners are committed to strengthening the resilience of health systems in the three focus countries to ensure continuity and long-term accessibility of SRH care in times of disruption.