The Challenge

There are more young people in the world today than ever before in history. Worldwide, 1.5 billion people are between the ages 12 and 24; 1.3 billion of them in developing countries. Risky behavior today can have far-reaching consequences that affect adolescents’ immediate health, their future opportunities and those of their children. Adolescent pregnancy and childbirth, for example, are associated with a range of outcomes detrimental to teen’s health, including complications of pregnancy, illegal or unsafe abortion, and death, especially in less developed nations. When compared to women in their mid-twenties, women under age 15 are at 25 times greater risk of dying from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth; 15 to 19 year old women are at twice the risk.

Youth programs must address key adolescent transitional life experiences – education, relationships, friendships, work and marriage and a multi-sectoral, integrated approach is critical to success. Programs that address only one aspect of youth’s lives are unlikely to have lasting impact on the overall health and well-being of young people, particularly in impoverished communities.

The Initiative

Planning for Life aims to improve the health of young women and men ages 10-24 years old by integrating reproductive health and family planning into youth development programs. Under the project, IYF will develop adolescent reproductive health guidelines and tools for use in the field; design and adapt program materials and curricula; collect and disseminate global best practices and lessons learned; and provide training and technical assistance to its partners to implement and integrate adolescent-focused reproductive health activities and programs.

Among IYF’s global partners, the project will create an adolescent reproductive health Community of Practice; promote reproductive health and family planning as critical elements of youth development programs; and support the implementation and scale-up of best practices. Small-scale pilot projects will be implemented in India, Tanzania and the Philippines.

Expected Outcomes

• Increase the number of IYF and partner organization programs that integrate reproductive health into their youth development programs.
• Increase knowledge and awareness of reproductive health issues among youth ages 12-24
• Increase the number of youth accessing and utilizing reproductive health services and commodities.

The project is funded by USAID in partnership with World Learning.

IYF Contacts