Young people are powerful and effective advocates for their own health and rights—and a growing force for reproductive justice around the world.
Ipas recognizes the power of young people and works to center their voices and needs in all that we do. Young people bring passion and innovative ideas to grassroots movements for abortion access and law change, serve as highly effective peer educators on sexual and reproductive health, and are uniquely positioned to advise health systems on how to ensure youth-friendly care.
We work for a world where every young person can determine their own future and live up to their fullest potential. For this to happen, young people must have bodily autonomy and control over their own sexual and reproductive health.
Believe in the power of young people, and you are going to see change,” says Dr. Simon Bine Mambo, coordinator for Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health, a key Ipas partner in Democratic Republic of Congo. Together, we work to improve reproductive health access in conflict zones with youth-led community outreach.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted off me”
Ensuring girls’ futures
A holistic approach to tackling child marriage, teenage pregnancy and school dropout Learn moreEmpowering youth leaders and advocates
Young people are leaders and active participants in all Ipas programs to strengthen youth sexual and reproductive health. Whether they’re running a digital platform that provides information, educating their peers, connecting community members with health care, or advocating for law reform, young people’s potential is limitless and we’re honored to partner with them. Here are just a few examples of how young people are taking the lead in our work.
“We can prevent the death of many young and adolescent women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies,” says Alexander Huayta Lugarani, part of a group of student leaders at Public University in El Alto, Bolivia, that works to break down machismo and show young people how men can play a crucial role in supporting women’s reproductive rights—including the right to abortion.
Krishna Pingua is a youth leader in rural India who helps educate men on sexual and reproductive health—and the important role men can play in supporting women’s rights. “When I talk to other men about sexual and reproductive health, I feel very proud that through sharing my knowledge, I am giving them the right guidance,” he says.