Marketplace

When ideas come to life

On both days of the 21^th International Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development 2022, participants could stroll through a virtual marketplace and view six exciting projects focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)  and resilience in times of crises, bringing the focus of the International Dialogue to life. On the second day of the event, participants had the opportunity to meet the presenters of each project. After a brief presentation, participants were able to engage in a discussion with the presenters to develop further ideas.

Lifeyangu digital partnership between Bayer and Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung Kenya: Lifeyangu, as explained by Willis Omondi Ogutu, is a sustainable online digital platform to support young Kenyans (18 to 28) in accessing SRH information and services. It provides the opportunity to learn about different contraceptive methods and supports them in locating different family planning centers. The project involves different social media platforms, working together with influencers and celebrities to become a mobilization tool for young people, especially in urban areas. Radio talk shows with discussions between experts, youth and people calling in provides a space to contribute and share their experiences. The overall objective of Lifeyangu is to empower informed decision-making among young Kenyans regarding their sexual health. By promoting health-seeking behavior, young people are empowered to take control over their own future. So far, over 8 million people have been reached with contraceptive information.

Covid Youth Dashboard, Population Council: Jessica de Mulder and Ann Gottert presented a survey of the challenges young people in Mexico, Kenya and India faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their aim is to create an online Covid youth dashboard, in which people can explore the collected data interactively. The study emphasizes the importance of focusing on the negative and positive effects of the pandemic as young people demonstrated substantial challenges as well as resilience during the pandemic. According to the study, across countries during the pandemic, aspects related to young people’s mental health and educational/employment prospects were impacted negatively whereas those related to parent and sibling relationships were less or positively affected. However, young people were affected differently, often related to context-specific factors. The results stress the need to provide multiple layers of support to young people experiencing multiple impacts of the pandemic.

Mobikaar, Love Matters India: Vithika Yadav, founder of Love Matters India, introduced Mobikaar, an online training programme aimed at training young people to become new age content creators and enable them to foster social impact by using their mobile phones. Through Zoom Meetings, young people in the programme are trained on public-interest journalism, news gathering, research and video production skills. Through the programme, young people not only develop a better understanding of SRHR issues but also learn how they can use their voices and 21st century skills to communicate their perspectives and needs and raise awareness on issues, such as early marriage and gender equity and equality.

Family Planning Investment Impact Calculator, Guttmacher Institute: The interactive tool, as Anna Popinchalk explained, estimates the impacts of foreign assistance for family planning in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), collectively for all LMICs in a subregion or region. The calculator shows the impact of actual, planned or hypothetical investments on family planning and produces data and graphics on the number of women and couples who would receive modern contraception, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion and unplanned births averted, women’s and girls’ lives saved, and achieved cost savings. The information can be utilized to strengthen advocacy efforts and to quantify the benefits of investing in family planning, thus increasing the investment in essential family planning services.

Donors Delivering for SRHR Report: Presented by Steffie Neyens, the Donors Delivering for SRHR Report provides European policymakers and advocates with a tool to track funding for SRHR, RMNCH, and FP. The most recent 2019 Report’s data and analyses of Official Development Assistance (ODA) disbursements shows that larger countries and donors are not necessarily spending more than smaller countries and donors. In fact, the results suggest that SRHR is not a high priority for many top ODA donors. By ranking the OECD Development Assistance Committee countries based on the analyses, donors can be held accountable for their SRHR commitments and the Report can be used as a tool to advocate for increased investments and actions in SRHR.

Abortion Reform in Benin, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille (ABPF): On 20 October 2021, Benin passed a widespread abortion reform, legalizing women and gender non-conforming people to access abortion services within the first three months. Amour Dieu-Donné Vodouhessi highlighted the important role that ABPF, IPPF’s Member Association, played in advocating for change to the abortion law. They engaged in years of advocacy work, including advocacy sessions and capacity building with parliamentarians. This close collaboration with lawmakers and stakeholders in the private and public sector and long-term advocacy work was key to the legalization of abortion. The law will ensure women’s reproductive rights and freedoms, promote women’s access to safe abortion services, and essentially save lives.