Nelson Keyonzo, MSc, Pathfinder International-Tanzania, 9 Galen Street, Suite 217, Watertown, MA 02130 and Susan J Collins, MSW/MPH, Pathfinder International, 9 Galen Street, Suite 217, Watertown, MA 02472, 617-924-7200, scollins@pathfind.org.

Pathfinder International, PATH, and UNFPA formed a partnership to implement a five-year program, the African Youth Alliance (AYA) to improve sexual and reproductive health of youth in Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda. Within AYA, Pathfinder works to increase YFS availability, institutionalize adolescent sexual and reproductive health into existing pre- and in-service trainings for providers and improve organizational capacity.

AYA uses results-oriented approaches with government, NGOs, CBOs and youth organizations to build on partners’ strengths, improve and “scale up” projects that constitute best practices to reach youth on a broad scale.

In Tanzania, AYA developed IP selection criteria, including measures of: 1) youth development; 2) youth involvement in managing ASRH activities; 3) national/regional coverage; 4) experience with government, private sector, NGOs, and CBOs; 5) experience managing donor-funded programs; 6) organizational structures for sustainability; and 7) capacity to monitor and evaluate. Pathfinder then partnered with MOH and NGOs. To increase YFS availability, Pathfinder 1) works with existing SRH services to make them youth-friendly, 2) grafts SRH services onto existing youth activities and venues, and, 3) institutionalizes YFS within MOH and NGOs.

Certain NGOs were more able to adopt the YFS model in facilities due to flexible organizational systems and quality SRH services. NGOs were also able to pilot youth outreach. However, given limited scope and donor-dependency of individual NGOs, the MOH was essential for coverage and sustainability. Pathfinder International uses different strategies to work with different types of institutions for maximum effectiveness, despite challenges associated with both public and private partnerships.

Learning Objectives: "Participants attending this session will be able to

• Identify results-oriented approaches used in the African Youth Alliance project to partner with Implementing Partner (IP) organizations (i.e., government, NGOs, CBOs and youth organizations) in Tanzania to increase availability of youth-friendly services."
• Discuss the benefits and challenges associated with public and non-governmental organization collaborations and the implementation of youth-friendly services."

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Partnerships

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.