Project profile — Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Education for Youth

• Colombia (100.00%)

• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (55.00%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (10.00%)
Family planning (13030) (10.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (25.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (principal objective)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (significant objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to empower Colombian girls, boys and young women to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) to help reduce sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and early pregnancies. The project works in schools with 7,000 girls and boys in eight municipalities, also reaching 6,000 parents and community members. Project activities include: (1) increasing the leadership of boys and girls within their communities; (2) improving access to SRHR information; (3) promoting positive transformations in attitudes and behaviours around SRHR; (4) building capacity within schools to implement successful comprehensive sexuality education; and (5) giving technical assistance to government officials and health providers to improve their delivery capacity in SRHR, with youth-friendly and gender-sensitive services.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved attitudes and practices of girls, boys and adolescents related to gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and early unions in eight municipalities of Colombia; (2) increased decision-making power to exercise and demand sexual and reproductive rights by girls and young women in eight municipalities of Colombia; and (3) improved provision and access to right-based, gender-sensitive and youth-friendly SRHR services in eight municipalities of Colombia

Results achieved as of March 2023 include: (1) Profamilia delivered three out of four cycles of a Comprehensive Sexuality Education programme to 8,890 adolescents (53% women and 47% men) in eight municipalities of Colombia. These students have demonstrated significant change in knowledge, attitudes and practices related to sexual and reproductive health rights; (2) 1,461 teachers have increased their capacity on sexual and reproductive health rights; and (3) trained 267 public servants (213 women and 54 men) on friendly health services for adolescents and youth with a gender equality and children’s rights approach. This also includes incorporating a gender and rights approach in public policy implementation and the State’s response to sexual and gender-based violence.

• Proactive disclosure