SARAI Project increasing access to sexual and reproductive health services in rural areas

Family planning is important for good health of children, mothers and ensuring good spacing between the children and planning the size of the family. DAPP is working with Society for Family Health (SFH) and Child Fund under the Sexual and Reproductive Health for All Initiative (SARAI) project in 15 Districts of Luapula, Muchinga and Copperbelt provinces reaching an estimated population of 400,000 people. SARAI is a sexual and reproductive health rural based project, the purpose of the SARAI is to increase the modern contraceptive prevalence rate by two percent annually through increased access and improved quality of family planning and reproductive health services.

The project is improving family planning service delivery; strengthening accountability of Family Planning service delivery systems; and increasing the use of healthy family planning and reproductive health practices.

As part of strengthening mobilization, the key players in the SARAI project are the Community Based Distributors (CBDs) who are community volunteers trained to give out family planning information, counseling, servicesand link rural communities to the health facilities. Other players involved are the Family Planning Champions trained to provide information spearhead behavior change discussion and address misconceptions on modern family planning, with people in the communities.

SARAI is reaching 450 schools and Out of School Youth Clubs surrounding the 90 health facilities to publicize information on sexual reproductive health, using adolescent training materials adapted to incorporate sexual and reproductive health topics. SARAI has trained youth peer educators in AIDS Action Clubs to offer age appropriate reproductive health messages and services.

The SARAI project started its operation in April 2015 and runs for 5 years, it is working in collaboration with 90 health facilities.