- - -

Sri Lanka

Articles by Sri Lanka

Crisis_Lanka

The Diary of a Young Sri Lankan Woman : A Lack of Access to Safe Sex

Sri Lanka isn’t the kind of country that openly discusses topics like sex. It’s taboo here.  I remember being 10 years old and having to ask my friends about what “sexual intercouse” was - because asking my parents was out of the question. If the topic ever came up, my dad would get thoroughly uncomfortable and simply walk out.  Practicing safe sex is also something we had to learn on our own - but luckily we had enough access to information. Plus, there was always an availability of condoms and other forms of contraception - so any of us could get our hands on it. It was free at government facilities, and there were cheaper options depending on our budgets.  The current crisis has had a grave impact on the access to safe sex here in Lanka. The government stocks have run out and most people who relied on the free of charge supplies of condoms, OCPs and IUDs are facing problems. With the currency depreciating everyday, those who  used to purchase contraceptives are now finding it difficult to afford them.  I’ve heard cases of people resorting to other unsafe methods of “safe” sex like “pulling out”. This is very alarming - a grim reality for anyone with an active sex life in LKA. If you can’t afford it, you can’t access it.  I can only imagine the unplanned pregnancies that may come about from this. Raising a family itself feels like a hard task in these times - so how will people manage with a newborn baby?  I am concerned about our sexual freedom and the increased lack of control over our sex lives. I hope things will take a turn for the better soon! - A Young Sri Lankan Woman. 19th May 2022   Sri Lanka is an island nation in South Asia that is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. Access to basic necessities such as food, health-care and security grows lesser by the day. The country is facing sky-high levels of inflation, and is under severe political and economic unrest. This first-person account details the experiences of a young Sri Lankan woman during this strenuous time. 

Social Enterprise
11 July 2018

Social Enterprise Acceleration Programme

IPPF is committed to supporting Member Associations to develop social enterprise activities for the purpose of generating income, diversifying funding sources and, ultimately, achieving organizational and financial sustainability. IPPF understands social enterprise as using entrepreneurial methods to generate a surplus income, which is used to finance activities that enable the organization to fulfil its social mission. Member Associations have been engaging in social enterprise for decades. Activities include sale of services, commodities, training and others. In 2017, a survey to map social enterprise among the Member Associations showed that, across IPPF, social enterprise activities contribute up to 24% of the total income in 54 Member Associations, between 25% - 49% in 11 Member Associations, 50% - 74% in 14 Member Associations, between 75% - 99% in 13 Member Associations and 100% in one Member Association. Eight Member Associations reported income of US$ 1 million and above from the sale of specialized health and clinical services whereas five Member Associations raised more than US$ 1 million from commodity sales. Read more in our report: in English; Spanish; Arabic or French.   In 2015, IPPF established the Social Enterprise Acceleration Programme (SEAP) aimed at strengthening the capacity of Member Associations to apply entrepreneurial best practices in the health sector while delivering social value and improving lives. SEAP has supported the establishment and growth of social enterprises of Member Associations with the following objectives:  Accelerate the development of Member Associations towards achieving financial sustainability and maximizing social impact. Provide Member Associations with high quality technical advice to support the effective development and delivery of sustainable sexual and reproductive health interventions through social enterprise. Share key insights and best practices within the Federation and provide access to external networks of support and market opportunities. The coordination of SEAP is currently carried out by the Social Enterprise Hub managed by the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka. The Social Enterprise Hub is responsible for SEAP’s grant management, enhancing awareness on social enterprising, project monitoring, capacity building, documentation of learnings and provision of technical assistance and training.  Watch our social enterprise video, get familiar with our social enterprise capability statement, read our 2018/2019 MA project stories and download our country-specific resources on providing effective technical guidance.  You can also get in touch by email if you have any queries or would like to know more information: [email protected]   

A woman receiving an antenatal check up in West Ambae, Vanuatu
31 March 2017

SPRINT: Sexual and reproductive health in crisis and post-crisis situations

The SPRINT Initiative provides one of the most important aspects of humanitarian assistance that is often forgotten when disaster and conflicts strike: access to essential life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. We build capacity of humanitarian workers to deliver essential life-saving sexual and reproductive health services in crisis and post-crisis situations through the delivery of the Minimum Initial Service Package (SRH) for reproductive health in emergencies.   Through funding from the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) our SPRINT Initiative has brought sexual and reproductive health to the humanitarian agenda, increased capacity and responded to a number of humanitarian emergencies. Australia has funded the SPRINT initiative since 2007 and has supported reaching 1,138,175 people to date and continues to respond to ongoing emergencies.   In each priority country, we work with an IPPF Member Association to coordinate and implement SPRINT activities. Through these partnerships, SPRINT helps strengthen the enabling environment, improve national capacity and provide lifesaving services during times of crisis.   You can read more about the SPRINT Initiative and IPPF Humanitarian’s Programme here.   Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)      Australia's location in the Indo-Pacific provides us with a unique perspective on humanitarian action. Australia is committed to helping partner governments manage crisis response themselves. This is done through building the capacity of the national government and civil society to be able to respond to disaster. DFAT also works with experienced international partners to prepare for and respond to disasters, including other donors, United Nations agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-government organisations.  

Logo
31 March 2016

Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka

Established in 1953, The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA Sri Lanka), pioneered the concept of family planning in the country and is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that explores innovative and challenging processes of family planning in Sri Lanka. We are proud to be one of the most expansive and well known NGO's in the country that focuses on family planning, Sexual and Reproductive Health and welfare. Today FPASL focuses on providing services to marginalized and under-served communities, growing its SRH product range to enhance consumer choice and advocacy to ensure SRHR of all people in the country. FPA Sri Lanka advocates to increase political commitment to sexual and reproductive health education (with political and religious leaders).  FPA works with community members specially youth to change norms and attitudes towards SRHR. It promotes the right to access SRH education through island-wide workshops.  It seeks to eradicate unsafe abortion and liberalise abortion laws, and it aims to foster community involvement in projects. FPA works with the LGBTIQ community to address stigma and discrimination faced by the community. FPASL has six Service Delivery Points. Clinics offer a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. These include contraception, counselling, diagnostic services, HIV and STI screening and voluntary counselling and testing. FPA Sri Lanka works closely both with the Ministry of Health. The average number of clients per year is 85,862, and average number of SRH services provided is 430,404. The Member Association also addresses key SRH and relationship issues faced by young through the Happy Life Call Centre. This centre provides information on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) to the general public through a range of new media tools. FPA Sri Lanka has developed a highly successful Social Marketing Programme (contraceptives). Today it’s the market leader in this product category and contributes around 40% of the total CYPs generated in Sri Lanka. By making a range of contraceptive products available to the consumers and supplementing it by the free FP services provided by the government, Sri Lanka has recorded a CPR of around 70%. USPs of FPASL: Specialisation: Key program teams dedicated to functions like advocacy; organizational learning and evidence generation; and social marketing.   Social Marketing Program: The successful program has established FPASL as the market leader in contraceptives, contributing to around 15% of the modern Contraceptive Prevelance Rate (mCPR) in Sri Lanka.   Social Enterprise Hub: FPASL helps other Member Associations of IPPF to establish and grow social enterprises to increase and diversify their funding bases for greater sustainability.   Strategic Partnerships: A key partner of Ministry of Health in the National STD/AIDS Control Program (NSACP); FPASL leads the national HIV response and is a principal recipient of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) working directly with 20 implementing entities in the country.   Impact-led: A decade-long focus on Monitoring and Evaluation enables FPASL to have an evidence-based approach in designing and implementing interventions for greater impact.  

Crisis_Lanka

The Diary of a Young Sri Lankan Woman : A Lack of Access to Safe Sex

Sri Lanka isn’t the kind of country that openly discusses topics like sex. It’s taboo here.  I remember being 10 years old and having to ask my friends about what “sexual intercouse” was - because asking my parents was out of the question. If the topic ever came up, my dad would get thoroughly uncomfortable and simply walk out.  Practicing safe sex is also something we had to learn on our own - but luckily we had enough access to information. Plus, there was always an availability of condoms and other forms of contraception - so any of us could get our hands on it. It was free at government facilities, and there were cheaper options depending on our budgets.  The current crisis has had a grave impact on the access to safe sex here in Lanka. The government stocks have run out and most people who relied on the free of charge supplies of condoms, OCPs and IUDs are facing problems. With the currency depreciating everyday, those who  used to purchase contraceptives are now finding it difficult to afford them.  I’ve heard cases of people resorting to other unsafe methods of “safe” sex like “pulling out”. This is very alarming - a grim reality for anyone with an active sex life in LKA. If you can’t afford it, you can’t access it.  I can only imagine the unplanned pregnancies that may come about from this. Raising a family itself feels like a hard task in these times - so how will people manage with a newborn baby?  I am concerned about our sexual freedom and the increased lack of control over our sex lives. I hope things will take a turn for the better soon! - A Young Sri Lankan Woman. 19th May 2022   Sri Lanka is an island nation in South Asia that is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. Access to basic necessities such as food, health-care and security grows lesser by the day. The country is facing sky-high levels of inflation, and is under severe political and economic unrest. This first-person account details the experiences of a young Sri Lankan woman during this strenuous time. 

Social Enterprise
11 July 2018

Social Enterprise Acceleration Programme

IPPF is committed to supporting Member Associations to develop social enterprise activities for the purpose of generating income, diversifying funding sources and, ultimately, achieving organizational and financial sustainability. IPPF understands social enterprise as using entrepreneurial methods to generate a surplus income, which is used to finance activities that enable the organization to fulfil its social mission. Member Associations have been engaging in social enterprise for decades. Activities include sale of services, commodities, training and others. In 2017, a survey to map social enterprise among the Member Associations showed that, across IPPF, social enterprise activities contribute up to 24% of the total income in 54 Member Associations, between 25% - 49% in 11 Member Associations, 50% - 74% in 14 Member Associations, between 75% - 99% in 13 Member Associations and 100% in one Member Association. Eight Member Associations reported income of US$ 1 million and above from the sale of specialized health and clinical services whereas five Member Associations raised more than US$ 1 million from commodity sales. Read more in our report: in English; Spanish; Arabic or French.   In 2015, IPPF established the Social Enterprise Acceleration Programme (SEAP) aimed at strengthening the capacity of Member Associations to apply entrepreneurial best practices in the health sector while delivering social value and improving lives. SEAP has supported the establishment and growth of social enterprises of Member Associations with the following objectives:  Accelerate the development of Member Associations towards achieving financial sustainability and maximizing social impact. Provide Member Associations with high quality technical advice to support the effective development and delivery of sustainable sexual and reproductive health interventions through social enterprise. Share key insights and best practices within the Federation and provide access to external networks of support and market opportunities. The coordination of SEAP is currently carried out by the Social Enterprise Hub managed by the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka. The Social Enterprise Hub is responsible for SEAP’s grant management, enhancing awareness on social enterprising, project monitoring, capacity building, documentation of learnings and provision of technical assistance and training.  Watch our social enterprise video, get familiar with our social enterprise capability statement, read our 2018/2019 MA project stories and download our country-specific resources on providing effective technical guidance.  You can also get in touch by email if you have any queries or would like to know more information: [email protected]   

A woman receiving an antenatal check up in West Ambae, Vanuatu
31 March 2017

SPRINT: Sexual and reproductive health in crisis and post-crisis situations

The SPRINT Initiative provides one of the most important aspects of humanitarian assistance that is often forgotten when disaster and conflicts strike: access to essential life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. We build capacity of humanitarian workers to deliver essential life-saving sexual and reproductive health services in crisis and post-crisis situations through the delivery of the Minimum Initial Service Package (SRH) for reproductive health in emergencies.   Through funding from the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) our SPRINT Initiative has brought sexual and reproductive health to the humanitarian agenda, increased capacity and responded to a number of humanitarian emergencies. Australia has funded the SPRINT initiative since 2007 and has supported reaching 1,138,175 people to date and continues to respond to ongoing emergencies.   In each priority country, we work with an IPPF Member Association to coordinate and implement SPRINT activities. Through these partnerships, SPRINT helps strengthen the enabling environment, improve national capacity and provide lifesaving services during times of crisis.   You can read more about the SPRINT Initiative and IPPF Humanitarian’s Programme here.   Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)      Australia's location in the Indo-Pacific provides us with a unique perspective on humanitarian action. Australia is committed to helping partner governments manage crisis response themselves. This is done through building the capacity of the national government and civil society to be able to respond to disaster. DFAT also works with experienced international partners to prepare for and respond to disasters, including other donors, United Nations agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-government organisations.  

Logo
31 March 2016

Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka

Established in 1953, The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA Sri Lanka), pioneered the concept of family planning in the country and is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that explores innovative and challenging processes of family planning in Sri Lanka. We are proud to be one of the most expansive and well known NGO's in the country that focuses on family planning, Sexual and Reproductive Health and welfare. Today FPASL focuses on providing services to marginalized and under-served communities, growing its SRH product range to enhance consumer choice and advocacy to ensure SRHR of all people in the country. FPA Sri Lanka advocates to increase political commitment to sexual and reproductive health education (with political and religious leaders).  FPA works with community members specially youth to change norms and attitudes towards SRHR. It promotes the right to access SRH education through island-wide workshops.  It seeks to eradicate unsafe abortion and liberalise abortion laws, and it aims to foster community involvement in projects. FPA works with the LGBTIQ community to address stigma and discrimination faced by the community. FPASL has six Service Delivery Points. Clinics offer a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. These include contraception, counselling, diagnostic services, HIV and STI screening and voluntary counselling and testing. FPA Sri Lanka works closely both with the Ministry of Health. The average number of clients per year is 85,862, and average number of SRH services provided is 430,404. The Member Association also addresses key SRH and relationship issues faced by young through the Happy Life Call Centre. This centre provides information on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) to the general public through a range of new media tools. FPA Sri Lanka has developed a highly successful Social Marketing Programme (contraceptives). Today it’s the market leader in this product category and contributes around 40% of the total CYPs generated in Sri Lanka. By making a range of contraceptive products available to the consumers and supplementing it by the free FP services provided by the government, Sri Lanka has recorded a CPR of around 70%. USPs of FPASL: Specialisation: Key program teams dedicated to functions like advocacy; organizational learning and evidence generation; and social marketing.   Social Marketing Program: The successful program has established FPASL as the market leader in contraceptives, contributing to around 15% of the modern Contraceptive Prevelance Rate (mCPR) in Sri Lanka.   Social Enterprise Hub: FPASL helps other Member Associations of IPPF to establish and grow social enterprises to increase and diversify their funding bases for greater sustainability.   Strategic Partnerships: A key partner of Ministry of Health in the National STD/AIDS Control Program (NSACP); FPASL leads the national HIV response and is a principal recipient of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) working directly with 20 implementing entities in the country.   Impact-led: A decade-long focus on Monitoring and Evaluation enables FPASL to have an evidence-based approach in designing and implementing interventions for greater impact.