Project profile — Enhancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Women and Adolescents in Ethiopia

The project aims to address the unmet sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) needs faced by women and youth between the ages of 13 and 24 in the regions of Amhara and Oromia in Ethiopia. These targeted communities have high levels of child marriage, early pregnancy, and related maternal health complications due to the particularly low sexual and reproductive health coverage, and prevalence of gender discriminatory cultural norms. Project activities include: (1) providing SRHR training to health staff; (2) providing medical equipment to health centres; (3) mapping of areas where SRHR services are needed but not yet provided, and areas where services are currently provided; and (4) providing SRHR advocacy activities for adolescents, their parents, religious leaders and local authorities. The project also aims to integrate SRHR considerations in district-level budget planning, strengthen local women’s organisations, and work with local authorities to align with local priorities outlined in Ethiopia’s Adolescent and Youth Health Strategy (2016-2020) and the Ethiopian Health Transformation Plan (2015-2020). This project expects to contribute directly to the improved SRHR of 270,000 adolescent girls and boys, and indirectly affect up to 2,995,000 community members (including women, men, community leaders and health workers).

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) utilizing gender-responsive and adolescent-friendly comprehensive sexuality education, and sexual and reproductive health services; (2) providing gender-responsive and adolescent-friendly comprehensive sexuality education, and sexual and reproductive health services; and (3) reducing sexual and gender-based violence including child, early and forced marriage, and unequal gender norms.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (January 2025): (1) family planning visits by women and adolescent girls at targeted health facilities increased to 837,847, up from 133,784 in 2020; (2) 56 health facilities in Amhara and Oromia regions now providing essential sexual and reproductive health services in project communities, an increase of 26 health facilities since 2020; (3) 413 (231F/182M) health personnel now delivering essential sexual and reproductive health services in targeted communities, an increase of 377 since 2020; (4) 907 teachers and school administrators trained to deliver gender-sensitive and adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health messages in school settings; and (5) 405 health extension workers, including midwives and nurses, and 16 health officers, trained on obstetric fistula case identification, diagnosis and referral.