The sexual and reproductive health (RH) of adolescents in a given population sets the stage for the sexual and reproductive health of the entire community. By 2020, almost 90 percent of all adolescents (10 to 24 years old) will live in the developing world, up from 83 percent in 1990. Fostering safe sexual behavior among this group is clearly important to efforts to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Africa is now home to the world’s youngest population, and they have a variety of urgent needs and concerns, including not only reproductive health information and services, but employment, education, and life skills.
This paper presents a comprehensive examination of the status of adolescent reproductive health (ARH) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It outlines programmatic strategies to address ARH needs in a holistic manner based on lessons learned through Pathfinder International’s extensive experience in the region. These strategies include:
- Expanding successful programs and increasing the capacity of local organizations to offer youth-friendly services.
- Integrating RH services into existing youth activities such as sports clubs or drug counseling programs, with a special emphasis on HIV-AIDS prevention.
- Involving adolescents in designing programs.
- Advocating youth-friendly RH policies.
- Building partnerships with other international RH. organizations in order to provide youth with a full range of services.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the reproductive health context for youth in SSA. 2. List five goals for addressing adolescents’ reproductive health and related needs. 3. Create program strategies to address these goals
Keywords: Adolescents, Reproductive Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.