The Addressing Neglected Areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa (ANeSA) Initiative

Project Brief/Summary

The Addressing Neglected Areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa (ANeSA) Initiative supports greater realization of critical sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) by underserved and marginalized populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

ANeSA is a seven-year CAD 29.9 million initiative co-funded by IDRC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Global Affairs Canada. ANeSA’s primary objective is to support greater realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights by African underserved populations by funding research and evidence on understudied topics. The five neglected thematic areas of focus for the initiative are:

• Family planning/contraceptive use,
• Access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care,
• Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights,
• Prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, and
• Improving services to its victims and advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Objectives

The initiative aims to support the greater realization of neglected SRHR by underserved populations in sub-Saharan Africa. ANeSA’s specific objectives are to:

• Increase capacity to generate evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative SRHR interventions collaboratively
• Increase the availability and mobilization of evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative SRHR interventions
• Increase the demand by decision-makers for evidence on gender-transformative SRHR interventions
• Strengthen the use of evidence to advocate for the promotion of SRHR, particularly among underserved populations, including women and girls, as well as organizations that serve them.
• Strengthen the use of evidence to hold communities, governments, and other key stakeholders accountable for promoting SRHR, particularly among underserved populations, including women and girls, as well as organizations that serve them.

The ANeSA Initiative supports 16 Implementation Research Teams (IRTs) over two cohorts and two Health Policy and Research Organizations (HPROs):  The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) serves as the HPRO for IRTs in East and Southern Africa, and the African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA) serves as the HPRO working with IRTs in West and Central Africa.

The HPROs will facilitate networking and learning, capacity strengthening, nurturing of a community of practice, knowledge mobilization, and exchange across the full spectrum of knowledge users, including underserved women and adolescents as well as decision-makers.

Team

Anthony Ajayi, Principal Investigator (PI)

Lynette Kamau, Co-Principal Investigator (C-PI)

Patrick Owili

Erick Muge

Gladys Maina

Nancy Kiarie

Partners

African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA)

Funder

IDRC, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Global Affairs Canada

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Addressing Neglected Areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa