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By Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry  The Africa Regional Office of the International Planned Parenthood Federation joins millions of Africans in commemorating the founding of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) which is now known as the African Union (AU). The AU theme for this year is timely 'Silencing the guns: creating conducive conditions for Africa's development' – this resonates well with our call for a peaceful Africa, where women and girls sexual and reproductive health and rights needs should be protected, with access to services improved. Globally, 60% of preventable maternal deaths take place in settings of conflict, political unrest, fragility, displacement and natural disasters. In humanitarian and conflict settings,  women, girls and other marginalized communities face increased risk to sexual and gender based violence, unintended pregnancy, and unsafe abortion, STI including HIV. In crisis and conflict affected settings in Africa, IPPF Member Associations are among the first responders in the frontlines, providing integrated and lifesaving SGBV services, reaching out to tens of thousands of women and girls who are subjected to sexual assault in these complex emergencies. As we celebrate the Africa Day, in this situation compounded with the unprecedented threat of COVID 19 pandemic which has had a devastating impact globally, we urge African Governments and other stakeholders to double their efforts and integrate SRHR in the COVID 19 response – particularly addressing the unmet needs of girls and women in complex emergency settings. Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry is the Regional Director, IPPF Africa Region. Also Read: Protecting the Rights of Women and Girls During the COVID-19 Pandemic For more information about the work of IPPF Africa Region, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Young people remain at the heart of IPPF’s Strategic Framework. The Youth Participation Center is aimed at creating a learning network for young people, which will ensure institutionalization of youth participation within the Federation. This initiative will set up a Youth Leadership Center which will develop a set of standards and tools for Member Associations (MAs) to build and strengthen national youth networks. It will train champions from MAs across the Federation to support fellow MAs to identify strengths and areas for growth in their existing youth participation structures and create formal mechanisms to support meaningful youth engagement at all levels of the Federation. Applications are now being accepted from young people who want to build youth networks and create supportive environments for meaningful participation in programmes, advocacy and decision-making processes. Click here for full details on the call for application for the Youth Participation Center 2020, including how to apply. It is hosted by Family Health Options Kenya (FHOK), which is IPPF's Member Association in Kenya. Send in your application by 28 April 2020.

Le gouvernement togolais seul ne peut pas venir à bout du coronavirus (COVID-9). C’est dans ce sens que l’Association Togolaise pour le Bien-être familial (ATBEF) à part les actions de  sensibilisations qu’elle organise sur les réseaux sociaux, dépêche une équipe de sensibilisation depuis lundi 30 mars au sein de la population pour lutter contre la propagation de la maladie. Togotopnews a suivi la délégation lundi 06 avril.  Il est 9h30 au quartier Tokoin Gbonvié. Nous sommes au  siège de l’ATBEF. Une clinique mobile de l'Association, un véhicule Toyota Landcruiser blanche, s’apprête à démarrer. Le contrôle de routine est fait pour vérifier le bon état du micro et du haut-parleur qui serviront à passer l’information en sillonnant les artères de la ville.  A bord de la voiture, se trouvent deux hommes "bien protégés' avec des bavettes . Il s’agit de la responsable de la mission et un polyglotte. Ce dernier  est assistant social sur le projet BMZ à l’ATBEF. De la musique et des messages de sensibilisation en 6 différentes langues (4 locales et 2 étrangères) qui raisonnent à travers le dispositif installé sur le véhicule nous conduisent premièrement au marché de La Paix du quartier Agbalépédogan, après avoir traversé quelques artères de la ville. A cet endroit, le polyglotte, M. Merveille BAKA descend, prend son micro et commence par sensibiliser  les revendeuses et revendeurs du marché.  Lisez l'article complet ici: http://togotopnews.com/index.php/sante/item/3873-reportage-covid-19-l-atbef-au-front-contre-la-propagation-du-virus   

By Maryanne W. Waweru Cotonou, BENIN: The Minister of Sports Mr. Oswald Homeky joined youth from French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries during the closing ceremony of the second edition of the Francophone regional forum aimed at sharing best practices on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) among adolescents and young people. The regional forum was organized by the Benin chapter of the Youth Action Movement (YAM) and was supported by the Embassy of Netherlands in Benin, together with IPPF. It brought together over 150 youth from 20 different countries. YAM is the youth arm of IPPF Africa Region’s volunteer body based within the Member Associations (MAs). The Sports Minister congratulated the youth for their noble initiative of knowledge exchange between each other, especially on the crucial matter of their sexual reproductive health and well-being. Mr. Homeky further appreciated the work of IPPF’s Member Association in Benin - Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille (ABPF) and its partners in putting youth at the forefront and prioritizing the youth agenda in their programs. The Sports Minister committed to increasing the budget for youth Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) activities. He also acknowledged the importance of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and reiterated his availability to support young people’s meaningful participation in development matters. Mr. Homeky pledged to support the implementation of recommendations from the forum. See Related Story: Regional Forum on SRHR Best Practices Among Youth in Francophone Africa During the meeting, IPPFAR’s Regional President Hon. Antonio Niquice lauded the brilliant initiative by the young people of Francophone Africa in coming together to share experiences and discuss about how they can tackle some of the sexual and reproductive health challenges facing them. He emphasized IPPF’s commitment to promoting youth-centered approaches and support the implementation of the resolutions from the forum. Maryanne W. Waweru is the Governance and Compliance Officer, IPPF Africa Region. For more information about the work of IPPF Africa Region, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

By Maryanne W. Waweru Cotonou, BENIN:  Over 150 youth drawn from the Youth Action Movement (YAM) and other youth organizations from Francophone African countries are gathered in Cotonou, Benin, for the second edition of the regional forum aimed at sharing best practices on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), especially among adolescents and young people. The youth are drawn from over 20 countries. Discussions at the forum are centered around the identification of effective strategies and responses that have proven successful in advocating for the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of adolescents and young people in Africa, and disseminating them to different stakeholders. This year's theme is titled: “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Adolescents and Youth: Government Priority”. The experiences shared, opportunities identified and solutions proposed by the young people at the forum will help inform policy and SRHR programs in the sub-Saharan region, more so Francophone Africa. IPPF Africa Region and its different partners greatly value youth engagement and their direct involvement in the design of and implementation of health programs, especially those pertaining to sexual reproductive health and rights. Their voices and meaningful participation are instrumental in the achievement of improved health outcomes. The regional forum has been organized by the Benin chapter of the Youth Action Movement (YAM), and is supported by the Embassy of Netherlands in Benin and IPPF. Other participants in the forum include representatives from different government ministries, donor agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, religious leaders and other stakeholders. The regional forum is timely, taking place ahead of the high-level ICPD25 Summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 12 – 14 November 2019. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) first held in Cairo. At the conference, 179 governments adopted a Programme of Action that underscored that fact that reproductive health, women’s empowerment and gender equality are key to sustainable development. ICPD25 is aimed at mobilizing political will and financial commitments needed to accelerate the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. These commitments will be centered around achieving zero unmet need for family planning information and services, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls. Maryanne W. Waweru is the Governance and Compliance Officer, IPPF Africa Region. For more information about the work of IPPF Africa Region, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

By Maryanne W. Waweru The government of the Republic of Chad has given its highest assurance of support to the IPPF Member Association in Chad - L'Association Tchadienne pour le Bien-Être Familial (ASTBEF). His Excellency Mr. Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet, the Minister of State - Minister Secretary General to the Presidency of the Republic of Chad made this assurance during a courtesy call paid to him by a delegation from IPPF Africa Region, led by its Regional President Hon. Antonio Niquice. “As a government, we are aware of the work of ASTBEF in the community. ASTBEF provides health services to mothers, children, men and young people in different sites in Chad. There is no doubt that the organization is among the key contributors to the health and development gains of the country. We will continue to support the work of the organization,” H.E Mr. Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet said. Towards this end, the government, through the Ministry of Finance has handed over a cheque to ASTBEF. These funds will be used to assist ASTBEF in the implementation of its Strategic Plan and the advancement of its mission and vision, which is also aligned with the country's development framework documents. While handing over the cheque to the ASTBEF National President Mr. Salomon Mbaitel Berang, the representative of the Ministry of Finance revealed that this demonstrates the realization of the commitment made by the Republic of Chad, which will be pursued regularly in the coming years to ASTBEF. While expressing his gratitude, Hon. Niquice noted that ASTBEF’s work in Chad would not have been possible without the support of the government. “We are indebted to the Chadian government for it’s support to ASTBEF. The Member Association has been able to achieve great levels of success owing to the support it receives from the government. IPPF, through ASTBEF, remains committed to ensuring that it complements the government’s actions in its provision of quality reproductive health services,” he said. Other members in the delegation included IPPF’s Global Governing Council Member Clementine Guelmbaye, IPPFAR’s Acting Regional Director Dr. Haingo Rabearimonjy, IPPFAR Executive Committee member Amadou Amadou, and the ASTBEF Executive Director, Dr Judith Mogode. See also: Life Skills Education Must Start from an Early Age, says First Lady of the Republic of Chad Story by Maryanne W. Waweru, Governance and Compliance Officer, IPPF Africa Region. For more information about the work of IPPF Africa Region, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.