IPPF was formed in November 29th 1952 at the Third International Conference on Planned Parenthood in Bombay, India. It was the result of campaigning by a handful of brave women, including Margaret Sanger from America, Elise Ottesen-Jensen from Sweden and Dhanvanthi Rama Rau from India, who were imprisoned for their assertion that women had the right to control their own fertility. They were determined to work with different cultures, traditions, laws and religious attitudes to improve lives for women around the world.
2012 thus marks 60 years since the establishment of IPPF and has grown from a Federation of 8 Founding Member Associations in 8 countries with an initial budget of US$5,000 to 163 Member Associations with a budget of US$124m, working in 170 countries around the world providing more than 88million sexual and reproductive health and rights services to over 33million people in 2010.
IPPF is a Federation in 6 regions, and in Africa, works with 38 Member Associations in 42 countries and providing more than 5 million sexual and reproductive health services annually.
IPPF Africa Region will be joining the rest of the IPPF Federation to celebrate the 60th anniversary of IPPF, highlighting its achievements as the largest SRHR organisation in the world, challenges and mapping a way forward for the next 60 years in ensuring that all people have comprehensive assess to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
CALLING YOUNG PEOPLE TO ACTION ESSAY COMPETITION
In celebrating IPPF’s 60th anniversary, IPPF Africa Region is having an Essay Competition for young people to reflect about sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa. The Competition is to engage a new and young generation of leaders in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa and setting the tone for coming up with new priorities for sexual and reproductive health and rights for international development agenda/priority setting after 2015,
Young people are being invited to submit entries based on the overall theme ‘‘Moving towards 2072: How can Sexual and Reproductive Health be addressed in Africa in the next 60 years?
In sending in entries, you must attempt to answer one of the following questions, and either bringing in your personal experiences or from what you have observed in your countries as follow:
- How can your country reduce the incidences for women who die in childbirth?
- How has a personal experience with a woman/young woman who has died from pregnancy, unsafe abortion or in childbirth affected you?
- How should governments make contraceptives accessible to young people and why should young people be able to access contraceptive?
- What should be priorities of your government in the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights and why?
- What are sexual rights and what is sexual health and is one important than the other and why?
- What should be Africa’s priorities on provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights in discussions after the end of Millennium Development Goals in 2015 and why?
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? The Competition is open to young people between the ages of 15 and 30 years of age and must be demonstrate to be 15 years old and under 30years old on or by July 30th. The competition is in three age categories as follows:
- 15 – 18 years old
- 19 – 25 years old
- 26 – 30 years old
CRITERIA
- All entries must be your own original work. It must not have been downloaded or copied from any other person/website.
- You must demonstrate that you are at least 15 years old and less than 18 years old on or by August 17th for the first category;
- You must demonstrate that you are at least 19 years old and less than 25 years old on or by August 17th for the second category;
- You must demonstrate that you are at least 26 years old and less than 30 years old on or by August 17th the third category;
- You must be a citizen of any country in Africa.
LENGTH OF THE ESSAY
- For the category (15 and 18years old), please write between 1,200 and 1,750 words.
- For the category (19 – 25 years old), please write between 1,750 and 2,500 words
- For the category (26 – 30 years old), please write between 2,500 and 3,000 words
All entries should be submitted online to www.ippfar.org or emailed to 60anniversary@ippfaro.org
PRIZES
- Laptops for the 3 best entries.
- Posters printed and part of IPPF’s advocacy materials.
- Essays in commemorative edition of Africa Link.
- The winners of the Essay, Poster and Film Competitions will be invited and honoured at IPPF’s 60th anniversary celebrations in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2012.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries/ submissions: 60anniversary@ippfaro.org
Website: http://www.ippfar.org/
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