Project Title: Investment in youth engagement and family planning for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in ECOWAS region (IYAFP)

Start Date: November 20, 2017

End Date: December 31, 2020

Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Coverage area: Youth and Adolescents sexual and reproductive health in 9 ECOWAS member States

Implementation agency: West African Health Organization (WAHO)

Charitable purpose: To strengthen the West African Health Organization’s capacity to support member counties in improving delivery of and advocating for better family planning services particularly for adolescents and young people.

Main objective: Improve the enabling environment governing the availability and accessibility of quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services for adolescents and young people (10-24) in nine of the 15 ECOWAS countries.

Specific objectives:

• Strengthen capacity of CSOs and research institutions in ECOWAS countries to engage youth; and deliver quality, comprehensive, SRH information, research, and services to adolescents and young people;

• Support Ministries of Health (at national-level) and CSOs working on adolescent SRH issues;

• Elevate youth-led and youth-serving organizations to participate in the Best Practices Health Forum. Moreover, the project will support the most promising youth-led activities and interventions;

• Bring together and strengthen the capacity of parliamentarians and other national/regional decision-makers in ECOWAS countries to promote meaningful youth engagement in political advocacy;

• Strengthen operational, management, leadership, financial, and partner engagement capacity of WAHO to deliver quality SRH support to ECOWAS member countries.

Beneficiaries: Adolescents and Youth; Ministries of Health, local CSOs and research institutions.

Project components:

• C1 - Support to AFD/DEMSAN fund for ECOWAS countries: Strengthened capacity of CSOs and research institutions in ECOWAS countries to engage youth; and deliver quality, comprehensive, SRH information, research, and services to adolescents and young people.
• C2 - Support to KfW/RRHP capacity building fund for ECOWAS countries: Strengthened capacity of CSOs and ministries in ECOWAS member States to deliver against their FP2020 commitments, with a particular focus on commodity security.
• C3 - Political Advocacy: Reinforced capacity of parliamentarians and other national/regional decision-makers in ECOWAS member States to promote meaningful youth engagement in political advocacy and secure financing and support for SRH information and services of adolescents and young people.
• C4 - WAHO management support component including to AFD and KfW Initiatives: Strengthened operational, management, leadership, financial, and partner engagement capacity of WAHO to deliver quality SRH support to ECOWAS member countries.