Project Proposal for the
FIRST MEETING OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH SAFE ABORTION ALLIANCE
The African Youth Forum on Safe Abortion
Where and When;
Johannesburg, - South Africa
01 – 03 April 2015
Project Implementer;
AFRICAN YOUTH SAFE ABORTION ALLIANCE (AYOSA)
Email: [email protected]
Total Project Cost
$58,209
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AFRICAN YOUTH SAFE ABORTION ALLIANCE (AYOSA)
Project Proposal for the
The African Youth Forum on Safe Abortion
FIRST MEETING OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH SAFE ABORTION ALLIANCE
Johannesburg, - South Africa
01 – 03 April 2015
Rationale
At least 66,500 women and girls, mostly in developing countries, die from unsafe abortion each
year, and about five million more are hospitalized with serious complications. The women and
girls who are most affected are poor, young, rural, ill-educated and otherwise vulnerable. Poor
African women face the highest risks of death and injury from unsafe abortion. Unsafe abortion
has severe economic and health consequences, imposing huge burdens on poor countries’
already struggling public health systems and broader societal costs such as lost productivity,
social stigmatization, and children left motherless.
Many circumstances put women in situations where they have to make a decision regarding
whether or not to continue their pregnancies. Ethical, legal, medical and social situations can
influence a woman’s decision. However in the end, regardless of the legal or moral prohibitions,
or the lack of economic or social resources, millions of women decide to electively terminate
their pregnancies even if it runs the risk of costing them their lives.
It is important to note that 60% of the African Population is below 24 years of age. Youth, being
the bearers of current actions are integral in any development process. The African Youth Safe
Abortion Alliance aims to spear-head access to, and quality of, sexual and reproductive health
and the rights of adolescents and young people throughout Africa.
The first meeting of the African Youth Safe Abortion Alliance will provide a platform where
founding members will collect ideas from Youth Activists on safe abortion in Africa and intends
to use the same forum to institutionalize the alliance and allow members to actively participate
and take ownership.
Despite efforts and the significant progress made by African Member States, it is clear that
current progress still falls short of what is required for Africa to achieve the MDG 4 and 5
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targets. The desire for delayed child bearing is becoming more common among African youth.
Consequently there is a growing and changing need for family planning among youth (Ndola
Prata and Karen Weider 2012). However, in the last few decades, governments and family
planning programs have not given the unique needs of young people, the necessary emphasis,
despite this being a large segment of the continent’s population.
There is a huge risk, that if countries do not address the needs with in the extremely young age
structure through such investment as scaling up Family Planning, young people will not achieve
their full potential for economic growth, and subsequently the opportunity that comes through
a demographic dividend.
Continental data on key indicators such as:



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Adolescent fertility rates
Access to modern contraception
Integrated services
Unsafe abortions
It is in view of the above that the Africa Youth Safe Abortion Alliance (AYOSA) seeks to convene
an African youth consultation forum for youth organization and medical student from all over
Africa, scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The forum will avail the young
participants the opportunity to interact with medical doctors and health lawyers, SRHR and
family planning experts, and other stakeholders and highlight SRHR challenges faced by young
people; work out innovative solutions and forge a collective resolve in ensuring that safe
abortion and other youth SRHR needs are adequately positioned in the post 2015 development
agenda.
About the alliance
The African Youth Alliance on Safe Abortion is a continental network of young people that
works to increase access to, and quality of, safe abortion, sexual and reproductive health and
the rights of adolescents and young people throughout Africa. The Youth Alliance envisions a
world where the diversities of all young people are respected and celebrated, and where they
are empowered and supported to fully and freely exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.
Sexual and reproductive rights are human rights, and therefore apply equally to young people.
Young people have a valuable contribution to make to society and must be given ample
opportunities to voice their needs and opinions in all policy and decision-making processes in a
way that is respected and fully incorporated.
The Youth Alliance also believes that all women, irrespective of age, have the right to access
medically safe and legal abortion care. Unplanned and unwanted pregnancies are a common
situation faced by women throughout the world. Many circumstances put women in situations
where they have to make a decision regarding whether or not to continue their pregnancies.
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Ethical, legal, medical and social situations can influence a woman’s decision. However in the
end, regardless of the legal or moral prohibitions, or the lack of economic or social resources,
millions of women decide to electively terminate their pregnancies even if it runs the risk of
costing them their lives.
Implementation of the project will actively involve the participation of all the members of the
alliance while CEGI coordinates centrally the activities and their organization. Again, CEGI is
going to enter into contract with donor on behalf of the alliance as a legally entity and
secretariat. The activities would involve consultations with stakeholders, mobilization of the
youth organizations, election of the steeling committee and country coordinators, development
of the five year strategic plan for the alliance and endorsing the alliance constitution. Its key
strategies are such as awareness raising, conduct advocacy, and documentation of evidence of
safe or unsafe abortion in the African communities.
The youth organizations will support legal reform of the abortion law through engaging their
communities and amassing support among community people for reform. Through its actions,
AYOSA will also contribute to strengthening the ability and rights of girls and young women in
Africa to obtain safe abortion through joint collaborations with other CBOs/youth organizations
and health institution.
Project Goals
 To mobilize support for youth advocacy towards contributing to national policies and legal
reform efforts for safe abortion and reproductive health and rights accessibility in Africa
 To lobby and mobilize youth organizations in Africa region for popular participation leading
to meaningful and legitimate law reform process on abortion in Africa.
Aims and objectives of the forum
 Provide a platform and strengthen the coordination youth and engagement strategy
 Institutionalize the AYOSA by agreeing on rules and regulations and conducting initial
elections.
 Develop a position paper on Safe Abortion in Africa for presentation to head of states of
African countries through African Union.
 To enhance and strengthen the prerequisite skills and capacity needed by alliance members
actively
 To lobby and mobilize youth organizations to participate in building movement leading for
legal reform on abortion in Africa.
 To identify and activate youth advocacy groups for increased voices for safe abortion and
sexual reproductive health and rights for young people by December 30th, 2016
 To increase knowledge of safe abortion and reproductive health rights among the youth
and the general public in Africa by December, 2016
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Target Group
The project targets to mobilize youth organizations in Africa who should champion advocacy
initiatives for safe abortion and accessible reproductive health services. The secondary target
groups include women, researchers, stakeholders and reproductive health service providers
who should change their negative attitudes and practices regarding abortion.
Expected Meeting results
 Adopted guiding principles of the alliance, signed by all members
 An African youth Position Paper on Safe Abortion signed by all Alliance Members
 Adopted of the draft AYOSA five year strategic plan
 Knowledge, new ideas and practices shared for potential replication in respective countries
 Strengthened existing partnerships and coordinating mechanisms for African Youth working
on Safe Abortion and SRHR.
 It is expected that as a result of the African youth forum there will be a built movement
lobbying and mobilizing towards a legitimate legal reform on abortions. The forum will also
develop a communiqué which will be submitted to African government recommending
actions on legal reform on abortions in Africa. And it will also form a movement of
advocates on safe abortion at different regions in Africa
 The youth forum is expected to be highly interactive, in view of the items to be discussed.
Recommendations adopted, shall guide the African continent in addressing unsafe
abortions challenges within the health sector and other key sectors that impact on the
health of young women and girls not forgetting youth in general.

Through sharing of challenges/experiences, the lessons learnt will be used to tailor the
SRHR interventions on the continent. The outcomes will also help the AUC Youth Division in
fulfilling its mandate to support Member States in providing technical assistance to develop,
review and strengthen appropriate youth SRH policies and strategies.

Furthermore, by exploring the quality of health systems and considering challenges and
opportunities, the forum shall come up with more effective approaches and tools for the
improvement of access to safe abortion and SRHR in Africa. Specific attention would be paid
to issues that underpin vulnerability such as the status of young women and girls legislative
framework on access to services, community and service provider attitudes and weak rights
protection systems
Methodology
The African Youth Alliance on Safe Abortion will convene a 3 days meeting of founding alliance
members and young activists/advocates on safe abortion to discuss strategies towards
mobilizing young people to participate and engage safe abortion work.
The African youth forum on safe abortion will be structured in such a way that will be plenary
sessions, breakaway parallel discussions, official forum opening which all will funnel into a final
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plenary discussion to consolidate all the key issues, actions and recommendations. These will
be synergized into the final outcomes of the forum and the launching of the African Youth Safe
Abortion Alliance will be launched
Evaluation
The conference itself will be evaluated through a questionnaire to confirm that the organizers
met the stated goals of creating a position paper, building stronger network relationships, and
creating a plan to launch AYOSA. There will be an evaluation after the conference to see if key
objectives are achieved and moving forward.
Language
The youth forum will be conducted in English and simultaneous translation in French.
Participants
The African Youth Forum on Safe Abortion will bring together a broad range of young people
across diverse relevant sectors and youth bodies in Africa. 25 participants from African
countries between age of 15 and 35 years of age will attend. Care will be taken to reflect the
diversity of Africa’s youth including sub-regions, gender, civil society, marginalized key
populations and disability. Participation will also include Strategic high-level partners, such as
UNFPA Executive Director, Selected Health Ministers, Youth Ministers and other strategic
partners to be confirmed at a later stage.
Dates and Venue
The African Youth Forum on Safe Abortion will be held in Johannesburg from 01 – 03 April 2015
in South Africa
Logistics, Visas
Sponsored Participants will be provided an economy class ticket for the most direct route and
daily subsistence allowance. All participants are expected to apply for visas in advance and to
travel with their yellow fever vaccination cards. All participants registered will receive an
invitation letter from AYOSA to facilitate their visa applications.
Budget
The African Youth Safe Abortion (AYOSA) therefore request for funds for travel,
accommodation, meals, living expense, promotion materials, Communication, hotel venue
The total budget cost for this African youth forum is $58,209
AYOSA is also seeking partners on this forum to help in providing technical and financial support
towards this first ever African Youth Forum on Safe Abortion.
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Founding Alliance members
AYOSA ensures that sexual and reproductive health and rights, safe abortion, gender equality
and the empowerment of young women, girls and youth are central components of AYOSA
The founding members are;
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
Centre for Girls and Interaction (CEGI) – Malawi;
Fortress of Hope Africa – Kenya;
Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) – Ghana;
Forum for the development of youth with disability (FDYD) – Malawi;
Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ) – Zambia;
Talent Youth association – Ethiopia;
Enukweni Community based Organization (ECOBO); Malawi
AHUSADEC, Action Humanitaire pour la Sante et le Developpement Communautaire – DR Congo
Youth Intercommunity Network – Kenya;
The Children and Community Initiative for Development – Gambia
The International Society for Development - Central African Republic;
African Women & Children Development Organization of Liberia - Liberia;
Vision In Action Foundation Cameroon – Cameroon;
Eshet Children and Youth Development Organization/ECYDO – Ethiopia
Youth for Change – South Africa
Tanzania Youth Development- Tanzania
Centre for Youth Development and Transformation CYDT - Zimbabwe
Dandelion Kenya - Kenya
The African Youth Task Force on 2015 agenda- Africa
Proposed Budget
-
Please find the attached file
For Further Information
Additional information could be obtained from the following:
For Further Information
Godfrey Kangaude
Nyale Institute
P. O. Box 30860, Chichiri
Blantyre 3 - Malawi
Office: 0212250216
Cell: +265997953373
Email: [email protected]
Jody-Lee Fredericks
Attorney
Women's Legal Centre
( 021) 424 5660 - South
Africa
Email: [email protected]
Rodica Comendant, MD, PhD
Reproductive Health Training Center, Director
ICMA operations coordinator - Coordinating team,
International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
20 Melestiu str, Chisinau, MD 2001, Moldova
Tel.: 373 22 35 50 72, Cell: 373 69139878,
Fax: 373 22 35 50 73
E-mail: [email protected]
Websites: www.avort.md, www.medicalabortionconsortium.org
http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/
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