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Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR)
Every woman and girl has the right to decide freely about her own body, health and future. Our newest pillar works to give women, girls and adolescents accurate information, a route to health services, and protection from violence and harmful practices.
467
Pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 births in Cameroon (DHS 2018)
1 in 3+
Women aged 25–49 who were married before the age of 18 (DHS 2018)
23%
Married women with an unmet need for family planning (DHS 2018)
The challenge
Rights on paper, barriers in practice
Sexual and reproductive health and rights are among the most critical, and most underfunded, priorities for women and girls in Cameroon. National and international commitments exist, yet many women and girls still cannot get accurate information, reach a health service in time, or make decisions about their own bodies free from pressure.
- Cameroon's 2018 Demographic and Health Survey recorded 467 pregnancy-related deaths for every 100,000 births.
- One in four young women aged 15–19 (24%) was already a mother or pregnant with her first child.
- 23% of married women had an unmet need for family planning: they wanted to avoid or delay a pregnancy but were not using contraception.
- HIV prevalence was higher among women aged 15–49 (3.4%) than among men (1.9%).
- 13% of women aged 15–49 had experienced sexual violence, and more than one in three women aged 25–49 had been married before 18.
Female genital mutilation is uncommon in Cameroon as a whole, but persists in some communities. Post-rape care — including emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, which must be given within 72 hours — is often out of reach in rural areas.
Our six existing pillars already meet the consequences: survivors of violence who need post-rape care, girls who leave school because they are pregnant, mothers without access to family planning, and menstrual hygiene in schools. SRHR gives these needs a dedicated response.
Source: Cameroon 2018 Demographic and Health Survey, Summary Report (Institut National de la Statistique and ICF).
What we do
Six areas of work, each linked to the pillars that already reach the same women and girls.
01
Maternal health and safe motherhood
Encouraging pregnant women to attend at least four antenatal visits and to give birth with a skilled attendant; post-natal care and nutrition education; community-to-facility referral routes for obstetric emergencies; and training traditional birth attendants on hygiene, safe practice and danger signs.
02
Family planning and contraception
Community education on the modern methods legally available in Cameroon; dialogues that address myths and stigma; engaging men and boys in shared responsibility; and linking women to family planning services, including after childbirth — so that each woman can choose freely the number, timing and spacing of her children.
03
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health
Age-appropriate, rights-based education for adolescents aged 10–19 in schools and communities; trained peer educators; life skills for girls; safe spaces to ask questions without judgement; accurate, stigma-free content through the founder's social media; and support for pregnant adolescents to stay in school.
04
Post-rape care and sexual violence response
Making sure survivors can reach emergency care within 72 hours, including emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis where available; training health workers, teachers and community leaders to recognise and refer cases; psychosocial support; and campaigns that treat sexual violence as a crime, not a private matter.
05
HIV and STI prevention
Prevention campaigns for young women aged 15–24; condom promotion through health facilities and outreach points; encouraging voluntary HIV testing; awareness of how to prevent mother-to-child transmission; education on sexually transmitted infections; and reducing the stigma faced by people living with HIV.
06
Ending FGM and child marriage
Community campaigns with traditional and religious leaders as allies; education on the health consequences of FGM; reframing a girl's education as the best investment in her future; awareness of the Cameroonian laws that protect girls; support for survivors; and documenting cases for advocacy.
Who we serve
Who this programme is for
Every person has the right to a safe and healthy sexual and reproductive life, regardless of age, marital status, social class or where they live. Priority goes to those with the least access to information and services.
- Adolescent girls and young women aged 10–24
- Pregnant women and new mothers, especially in rural communities
- Survivors of sexual violence
- Girls at risk of child marriage or FGM
- Young women living with HIV
- Women and girls displaced by the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest
- Men and boys, as partners in shared responsibility
How we work
All SRHR activities comply with Cameroonian law and respect community values, without compromising the rights and dignity of women and girls. Information is accurate and age-appropriate, consent and confidentiality are absolute, and the Foundation refers people to qualified health providers rather than offering medical care itself.
- ICPD Programme of Action
- CEDAW, Articles 10, 12 and 16
- Maputo Protocol, Article 14
- SDG 3 — targets 3.1, 3.3 and 3.7
- SDG 5 — target 5.6
- WHO standards for maternal and newborn care
- UNFPA Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP)
- Cameroon's national reproductive health policy
- Do No Harm and safeguarding — mandatory for all staff and volunteers
What we are working towards
Targets drawn from our organisational framework, with the horizon against which we will report progress.
- Year 1 Train 30 community health volunteers as SRHR champions and 50 adolescents as peer educators in target schools.
- Year 1 Hold SRHR awareness sessions in 10 communities, reaching 500 women and girls in person, and agree referral arrangements with at least 3 health facilities.
- Year 1 Link 100 pregnant women to antenatal care, help 30 survivors of sexual violence reach post-rape care within 72 hours, and hold 5 community dialogues on FGM and child marriage.
- Year 1 Produce a community SRHR guide in English and French.
- Year 2 Extend SRHR work to 20 communities, reach 1,500 women and girls in person, link 300 pregnant women to antenatal and skilled delivery care, and support 80 survivors to reach post-rape care.
- Year 2 Work towards a 30% reduction in teenage pregnancy in 5 target schools, and publish a report on adolescent pregnancy.
- Year 3 Maintain 80 or more active SRHR champions, reach at least 2,000 women and girls a year, link 500 pregnant women to maternal health services, and support 100 or more survivors a year.
- Year 3 Document change in FGM and child marriage in 10 communities, engage at least 2 government ministries on SRHR policy, and publish a three-year SRHR impact report.
Connections
How SRHR strengthens the other six pillars
| Pillar | Where SRHR connects |
|---|---|
| GBV prevention and response | Post-rape care, emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis for survivors; psychosocial support. |
| Girl-child education | Sexuality education in schools, peer educators, and support for pregnant adolescents to stay in school. |
| Water, sanitation and hygiene | Menstrual hygiene, and the hygiene that safe deliveries and newborn care depend on. |
| Women's livelihoods | Savings groups as trusted places for SRHR information; family planning that lets women invest in their futures. |
| Environment and climate | Displacement raises the risk of violence and cuts access to maternal care; SRHR work responds to both. |
| Advocacy and research | Evidence on teenage pregnancy, FGM, maternal health and HIV feeds our policy work. |
Budget
What it would cost to run
Our indicative annual budget for the SRHR pillar is XAF 34,000,000 (about USD 56,700). It is an estimate, not secured funding: it will be refined through needs assessments, the communities we work in, and discussions with funders.
| Area | Estimated annual cost |
|---|---|
| Maternal health and safe motherhood | 4,500,000 |
| Family planning and contraception | 3,000,000 |
| Adolescent sexual and reproductive health | 5,000,000 |
| Post-rape care and GBV linkages | 4,000,000 |
| HIV and STI prevention | 3,500,000 |
| Ending FGM and child marriage | 3,000,000 |
| SRHR staffing and coordination | 6,000,000 |
| Research, advocacy and information materials | 3,000,000 |
| Monitoring, evaluation and learning | 2,000,000 |
| Total | 34,000,000 |
Related reading
Help a woman decide her own future
Information in a girl's own language, a referral to a midwife, a survivor reaching care within 72 hours. Small, practical steps that change what happens next.
