Sexual and Reproductive Health

Sexual and Reproductive Health

The seed for The Health Foundation’s focus on Sexual and Reproductive health was planted by the Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology in the UK through their R30 million grant funding, towards the pilot roll-out of the programme which is now widely known as Leading Safe Choices. The overall aim was and continues to be the strengthening of sexual and reproductive health services in a number of ways including improved competence and raised standards of family planning professionals in South Africa.

Building on our experience with the Leading Safe Choices programme, the Foundation’s role includes employing and seconding programme staff to the Department and playing a governance and quality assurance role.

The current programme’s objectives are to:

• Contribute to skills building and mentorship in comprehensive family planning, through training and support systems thereby improving the quality of comprehensive family planning services available.
• Enable the professionalisation of comprehensive family planning with accreditation and certification systems.
• Minimizing the isolation and burnout of family planning providers through debriefing and peer support networks

Through these objectives we aim to address the barriers that prevent the uptake of safe and healthy family planning services in designated health facilities.

With a new donor on board (IPPF), the Foundation is working with the Cape Winelands District to fulfil the rights of women and girls to access safe comprehensive family planning services. All programme implementation is embedded within the Department of Health’s women’s health programme to ensure sustainability and longevity.