The Youth for Health (Y4H) project is a three-year initiative co-funded by the European Union to expand access to life-changing adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights (ASRHR). The project focuses on reaching the poorest and most marginalised adolescent girls, including those living with disabilities, in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Led by MSI Reproductive Choices, Y4H is implemented with partners including CSA, DSW, YNSD, YAG, HASiL, Restless Development Zambia and Sikika, to increase demand, improve access and advocate for supportive policies and funding environments across all six countries and at regional levels.
Since its launch in July 2022, the project has achieved three key aims:
1. Increased demand for, and access to, high-quality, discrimination-free services and information for adolescents
Y4H is breaking down barriers that prevent adolescents from accessing clear, accurate, and stigma-free information on their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and where to access services. Through peer education, community outreach, and targeted communication campaigns, the project is reaching both in- and out-of-school youth. As of May 2025, Y4H has:
- Received over 50,000 contacts from adolescents seeking services
- Reached the most marginalised: 16% of client visits were by adolescents, and 2% of clients identified as having a disability.
- Piloted CSE activities in and out of school, reaching 11,650 young people in Kenya
- Supported the integration of Life Skills and Health Education (LSHE) into the Competence-Based Curriculum in Zambia
Learn more on how we’re teaching young people about their sexual health in Kenya and how community dialogues are shifting harmful norms around adolescent access.
2. Increased public sector capacity to deliver and sustain high-quality adolescent services
Y4H is working with national Ministries of Health to equip and support over 200 health facilities to deliver inclusive, high-quality and discrimination free sexual and reproductive health services. In collaboration with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, Y4H has conducted 76 adolescent and disability-inclusive care assessments, generating data that will support more inclusive public services. As of June 2025, 16% of clients in Y4H supported facilities were adolescents. The family planning services provided had helped avert an estimated 359,300 unintended pregnancies and 104,300 unsafe abortions.
Watch a short Youth For Health video sharing a client and provider experience over on our Vimeo, to see how Y4H is transforming services.
3. Improved public policies and funding for adolescent health and rights at a regional, national, and sub-national level
Adolescents are at the heart of all Y4H activities. Y4H has trained over 330 youth champions to lead advocacy efforts across communities and national platforms. Their work has influenced 5 key policy changes and secured over 30 commitments from decision-makers to improve ASRHR. One such example is showcased in this Youth Champion’s story — highlighting how youth advocacy is driving change at the national level.
In Kenya, young advocates have played a key role in shaping a new law on sexual and gender-based violence — watch their story:
Y4H teams have also carried out budget analyses in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania and successfully advocated for increased funding commitments for adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. At the regional level, Y4H engages with the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) and other African Union platforms to influence the Maputo Protocol, the East African Community SRH Bill, and other key policies.
Through these approaches, Youth for Health is bridging information gaps, supporting quality services, and empowering communities to support adolescents’ health and futures.
