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In Sierra Leone, FHM Engage, USAID’s flagship private sector health project, conducted a family planning (FP) market description and assessment, focusing on youth-driven demand for FP, followed by co-creation workshops with key public and private stakeholders with whom solutions to market challenges were designed. The assessment found that only 20% of married women are using contraception, young women ages 15-24 prefer contraceptive implants, and most young women get their condoms and pills from the private sector.
FHM Engage currently works with the People’s Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy (PARHA) and the Ministry of Health to establish Private Sector Engagement Unit, a public-private dialogue platform that will steward the youth market to increase the availability and accessibility of affordable FP products and services for youth. This platform is meant to galvanize the private sector in Sierra Leone to support family planning. Endorsed by the Ministry of Health, this approach aims to mobilize resources and strengthen family planning efforts, particularly in adolescent and youth reproductive health.
Drawing on a comprehensive market assessment of FP in Sierra Leone and recommendations from a co-creation workshop with public and private sector stakeholders, FHM Engage is establishing a Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to facilitate public-private dialogues on FP. The project is working to and create an enabling environment for youth to lead advocacy and policy interventions and implement market solutions.
Through the PSE Unit’s technical working groups, FHM Engage is working with youth to co-create market solutions tailored to their preferences, seeking to ensure broader access to FP commodities preferred by youth and reduce stock-outs. Broadened access relies on improving service accessibility, advocating for policy changes that allow for provision of accurate FP/RH information to youth, ensuring affordability, and addressing legal barriers that hinder adolescent access.
Over the next year, FHM Engage aims to finalize the PSE Unit and disseminate project findings. The PSE Unit will expand its membership base to enhance visibility, share successes, participate in forums, and provide market intelligence.
Related Resources
- About FHM Engage Brief
- Outcome Report: Public-Private Dialogue Strengthening Youth-Driven Demand for Family Planning and Sexual Reproductive Health Services in Sierra Leone
- Sierra Leone – Family Planning Market Description
- National Dialogue on Youth-Driven Demand for Family Planning
Photo Caption: A family planning officer speaks to a community group during an intergenerational dialogue in Bellafarandi, Timbuktu. Photo Credit: ADIC Sahel (via MOMENTUM)
