To achieve our objectives, we use a multidimensional approach that targets the different points at which adolescent health can be effectively addressed. This includes:
Advocating for action on adolescents’ needs and access to care with policy makers, parents and community leaders.
Increasing access to comprehensive sexuality education, peer education and counselling, to enable adolescents make healthy and responsible decisions about their sexuality.
Promoting access to resource materials, including adolescent health journals, books, on-line databases and video films.
Providing reproductive healthcare services specifically designed for adolescents, as well as referrals to adolescent-friendly institutions for further care.
Creating opportunities for the empowerment of adolescents through the acquisition of vocational skills that include public-speaking, computer operations and film production training.
Improving the capacity of other youth-serving organisations in adolescent health programming through trainings and provision of necessary technical assistance.
Collaborating /networking with identified agencies to share resources and promote our issues.
Policy Advocacy and Community Mobilization for Youth Programming
EDF implements advocacy, sensitisation, mobilization and public enlightenment at both national and state levels with the aim of creating an enabling environment for youth programming. Working in partnership with allies within and outside government, such sustained advocacy target policy makers, community leaders, media practitioners, trade unions, parents and youths, and facilitate action on young people’s sexual and reproductive health and information needs. Some of our advocacy and community mobilization programs include:
Convening the National Sexuality Guidelines Taskforce.
Facilitating and serving as secretariat for the 1st National Conference on Adolescent Reproductive Health.
Convening a National Civil Society Organisations Dialogue on Sexuality Education to facilitate nationwide implementation of the Family Life and HIV Education Curriculum.
Facilitating the National Youth Forum on HIV/AIDS that enabled the emergence of the National Youth Network on HIV/AIDS (NYNET) and adoption of a Strategic Framework for the Youth Action Plan on HIV/AIDS.
Promoting Youth Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Counselling
EDF implements an innovative peer education program in over 50 secondary schools in Imo State through Health and Life Planning Clubs (HLPC). These clubs are coordinated by trained peer educators and teachers, and provide a forum for young people to acquire and share factual information on issues of youth health and development. The positive results of the peer education program are seen in the ever-increasing demand to establish similar clubs in other secondary schools.