The Academy for Health Development in conjunction with the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) at Scales partners with eight youth led organization, Gender Mobile Initiative, Improved Sexual Health and Right Advocacy Initiative, Safe Hands Initiative, Safer Hands Initiative, Society for Information and Human Advancement Initiative, sustainable Impact and Development Initiative, Sparkle Foundation, Paaneah Foundation and Youth Network on HIV-AIDS in Nigeria, to advance the course of family planning and promote its agenda in Lagos state.
A call for expression of interest was made to youth-led organisations based in Lagos, with over 10 members, who are engaged in young people programme implementation; youth sexual and reproductive health; HIV/AIDS, family planning and youth advocacy. The eight aforementioned organizations were found eligible with track record that meets the stated criteria. A team of 40 young people would be chosen from across organisations to build the Family Planning Youth Advocates for the project.
Comprehensive training on leadership skills, developing high impact action plans, Lagos State family planning policies and programmes, developing an issue brief and policy brief on family planning issues in Lagos, amongst others, would be held for the Family Planning Youth Advocates. Furthermore, the selected Youth Advocates would be engaged in programme implementation, conducting research, advocacy visits to policymakers and duty bearers on Family planning in Lagos State during the period of the project.
We believe that if the capacity of young people and organisations with potentials for impact in the Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH) field is built in identifying, tracking and advocating for youth focused family planning policies in Lagos, then there would be
- more empowered young people with capacity to drive relevant changes and influence their peers,
- awareness and monitoring of the implementation of youth related family planning policies in Lagos, and
- effective implementation and accountability of youth related family planning policies in Lagos State.
