Young People's Empowerment in Reproductive Health Through Awareness and Service Expansion in Ethiopia (YERASEE)

Through Pathfinder programs in Ethiopia, millions of young people have accessed youth-friendly sites for information and services, including contraception.

As a part of the Integrated Family Health Program, YERASEE builds upon Pathfinder’s extensive work in Ethiopia to improve sexual and reproductive health services for young people (ages 10-24) throughout the country.

The YERASEE project enables Pathfinder to expand both the quality and quantity of youth-friendly sites offering sexual and reproductive health counseling and services in Ethiopia, a country with significant unmet need for contraception.

Through the Integrated Family Health Program, Pathfinder has already established 160 youth-friendly sites for sexual and reproductive health services and counseling. YERASEE builds on this reach, expanding the number of youth-friendly sites by 80, and bringing the total number of sites to 240. The project also leverages the valuable experience of existing sites by organizing educational visits for health providers, managers, and government officials to already-successful sites.

YERASEE not only aims to improve the quantity of services available, but also the quality. Pathfinder incorporates innovative behavior change interventions to increase quality of service provision through service providers and peer educations. The project also fosters the adoption of youth-friendly attitudes and behaviors to encourage young people, including young married couples, to consider their contraceptive options.

In addition, Pathfinder staff works closely with health system officials at regional and woreda levels to build their capacity to implement, supervise, and monitor youth-friendly services and to ensure scale-up is prioritized in local work plans and budgets. These relationships are crucial to ensure YERASEE creates a positive and lasting impact for the young people of Ethiopia.