1. CORE Spring Meeting
May 01, 2012
Integrating FP into Youth Programs:
Zambia Family Planning Integration
Project
Sadia D. Parveen
Reproductive Health Specialist
ChildFund International

2. ChildFund International:
Core Intent and Outcomes
ChildFund exists to:
Help deprived, excluded and
vulnerable children have the
capacity to improve their lives
and the opportunity to become
young adults, parents and
leaders who bring lasting and
positive change in their
communities.
Promote societies whose
individuals and institutions
participate in valuing, protecting,
and advancing the worth and
rights of children.
2

3. ChildFund International:
Desired Long-Term Goal for Youth
Youth that are deprived, excluded and
vulnerable have access to opportunities and
safe and supportive environments for:
•Strengthening their economic, physical and
social well-being as well their resilience to
risks, especially in health;
• Exploring their world and forming their own opinions;
• Building capacity to be proactive members of their families;
• Bringing lasting and positive change in their communities.
3

4. FPIP, Zambia:
Background of Project Area
• Catchment population – 75,000
• Rural, very poor communities
• Health centers not easily
accessible and lack trained
providers
• Adolescents and youth comprise 28% of the overall
population, and present a huge unmet need
• Teen pregnancy is high at 189/1000
• Strong religious influence on FP practice

5. FPIP Zambia Phase I
FPIP 2006-2008 aimed to increase the range of FP
services available at the community level –
• Trained health center and health post staff as well as
CBDs on youth-friendly reproductive health counseling
and service;
• Trained 49 youth peer educators who counseled
and/or referred 3,528 youth for FP services, working
closely with CBDs.
5

6. FPIP Zambia Phase I:
Youth Voices
“We provide counseling and services for adolescents. They usually ask
for oral pills or condoms. We also do both counseling and services for
STIs. We served 10-15 adolescents for FP last month.” 6

7. FPIP Zambia Phase I:
Healthcare Providers
“We have RH/FP services for adolescents. Last week I provided VCT and
FP for boys who wanted condoms and 5 girls who received oral pills. I
also treated 3 (ages 17, 18 and 19) for STIs.” 7

8. FPIP Zambia Phase II
FPIP 2010 – 2012 built on Phase I experience and strengthened
role of youth in CBFP information and service –
• Trained 124 youth peer educators –
o
75 male, 49 female
o
100 in-school, 24 out-of-school
o
16 married, 108 not married
• Initiated Youth-Friendly Service at 27 health centers
• Drafted youth peer educator curriculum in collaboration with
MOH/Z and MOE/Z and FP Technical Working Group (in
process)
To date: Over 4000 youth received FP information and counseling, almost 200 received
FP service directly from youth peer educators, majority referred to CBDs, and 177
referred to health center for FP service. 8

9. ChildFund’s Experience:
FPIP – Zambia
Additional engagements of youth peer educators –
•Child-Friendly School program
•Engagement of youth in income generation projects, i.e.
goat rearing, seed distribution, growing bananas, etc.
•Youth participation and empowerment project
9

10. FPIP Zambia Phase II:
Integration Points
• Youth SRH/FP
adapted as part of
organizational
strategy and core
intervention
• Reduced teen
pregnancy a core
impact indicator for
the organization
• FP method use by
youth adapted as a
breakthrough change
in ChildFund’s Youth
Theory of Change
10

11. FPIP Zambia Phase II:
Integration Points (cont’d)
• Projects (both
sponsorship and non-
sponsorship) designed
to address youth SRH
• Program managers
and field staff trained
on SRH-FP
programming for youth
• Development of toolkit
for SRH-FP programs
(including curricula and
flip-cards) in progress
11

12. FPIP Zambia Phase II:
Integration Points(cont’d)
• Parents and
community leaders
aware of implications of
teen pregnancy, HIV
infection, sex trade,
among others
• Communities
supportive of FP
method use by sexually
active youth
• Neighborhood Health
Committee members
supervise youth peer
educators
12

13. FPIP Zambia Phase II:
Youth Role in FP Service
Increased
FP uptake
13

14. Key Learnings To Date
• Youth play an influencing role in their community to effect
change; they are a dynamic source of information for
identifying gaps and developing potential solutions, especially
in terms of reproductive health
• Youth participation is a key ingredient in CBFP programming;
they compliment the work of CBDs and present a vital link with
the younger segment of the population that is entering
reproductive maturity
• Pairing youth with CBDs helps to increase coverage and
efficiency (especially with regard to record keeping and
reporting, and IEC activities).