The Cook Islands has removed a law that criminalizes homosexuality, in a huge victory for the local LGBTI+ community.  Our local Member Association, the Cook Islands Family Welfare Association (CIFWA), has been integral to the advocacy around this law reform, which has faced many hurdles since the movement kicked off in 2017. Staff and volunteers at CIFWA have worked in step with Pride Cook Islands and the Te Tiare Association (TTA), two of the biggest LGBTI+ advocacy organizations in the country, to end discrimination and promote human rights. Meet some of the inspiring people behind this historic movement.

On the island of Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, a little white van makes its rounds on the palm-tree lined circular road. The van, run by the Cook Islands Family Welfare Association (CIFWA), stops off at condom distribution points along the way, refilling the condom stock.  Dean Tangata, a 26-year-old humanitarian focal point for CIFWA and a registered nurse, is behind the wheel.  "Our condom dispensers get emptied so quickly!” said Dean. “We refill them twice a week.”   On Rarotonga, the locals refer to a system called ‘coconut wireless’ - a local phrase meaning to communicate quickly by word-of-mouth. This means that discretion is key to encourage people to practise safe sex and use condoms.  According to the Cook Islands Ministry of Health 2014, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common in the Cook Islands. A study conducted in 2006 showed a 22% prevalence rate of chlamydia; 46% of these cases were in people between the ages of 15 and 29 years. After a robust intervention campaign, a repeat survey in 2012 showed a 50% decrease in prevalence. This is why CIFWA instigated a condom dispenser system, placing handmade dispensers (that an industrious staff member made from cutting holes in piping) inside bathrooms in restaurants around the island. “We’re the ‘sex people’ - the ‘sex workers’ who roll up in our condom car,” says Dean, smiling.

There was hope at the start of 2022 that this year would bring more security and stability than in the previous year.  Instead, we’ve been presented with some enormous challenges to sexual and reproductive health and rights - from conflicts, to climate crises, to the rollback of rights and the rise in opposition movements in many countries around the world. But at IPPF, we won’t let the opposition define us. We choose not to remember 2022 solely for its setbacks. Here, we highlight some stories of positive change from our colleagues, clients and partners around the world.

"We are extremely grateful for the RESPOND project's support, which allows us to continue providing reproductive healthcare to all, particularly women and girls, who have been disproportionately impacted by limited access to sexual and reproductive (SRH) health services,” says Dr Teza Farida, ProCare's SRH specialist.   ProCare Clinic is a sexual and reproductive healthcare facility dedicated to serving poor, marginalised, socially excluded, and underserved (PMSEU) communities in Jakarta, administered by the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (IPPA). Services offered at the clinic include contraception, breast, and cervical cancer screening, HIV and STI (sexually transmitted infections) testing, obstetrics and gynaecology, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) counselling.    Lockdowns and targeted mobility restrictions in Jakarta during the peak of the pandemic made it difficult for the clinic to obtain critical commodities and supplies, such as contraception and HIV-related medicines. The number of patients visiting the clinic fell, resulting in a decrease in revenue and directly impacting the clinic’s ability to provide vital SRH services to those in need.   The technical and financial assistance provided by the Australian government-funded RESPOND project came at a critical time for the struggling clinic, as demand for SRH services was evident. While district health centres (puskesmas) across Indonesia were overwhelmed by the need to respond to pandemic-related emergencies, putting enormous strain on government facilities, the ProCare team was able to get back on its feet, resolve licencing issues, hire counsellors, and ramp up its services.   “We are grateful to the ProCare team for stepping up in times of crisis to address the unmet SRH needs of underserved urban communities around the Greater Jakarta area, in accordance with the National Population and Family Planning Board's (BKKBN) strategic framework for accelerating reproductive health services,” said Dr Dina Wijayanti, Head of Community Health Unit, Puskesmas Duren Sawit district, Jakarta.     In June 2022, IPPA welcomed Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls, Ms Christine Clarke CSC to officiate the refurbished clinic. Ambassador Clarke spent time touring the clinic and meeting with the team delivering essential SRH services. “We are proud to support IPPA’s tireless advocacy for the fulfilment of SRHR, particularly to women, girls, and disadvantaged groups throughout Indonesia,” she said.   Since the Ambassadors' visit, services have been expanded to include vaccinations and free family planning counselling for refugees in Jakarta. Indonesia is a transit country for refugees, mostly from Afghanistan, followed by Somalia, Myanmar, Iraq, and Sudan. The Greater Jakarta metropolitan area is home to the vast majority of the country's refugee population.  "I had no idea where to turn for help. As a father with two young children, I was also afraid of going to crowded places. I appreciate the ProCare team's assistance in providing COVID-19 vaccination and free counselling," says Muhammad Yama, a Somali refugee living in Tangerang. Tangerang, located on Jakarta's western outskirts, is the third largest urban centre in Greater Jakarta.    Refugees like Muhammad face several barriers in obtaining COVID-19 vaccination and other services due to a lack of documentation, information in their native language, and fear of arrest, detention, or deportation. Too often, underserved communities fall through the cracks in the healthcare system. ProCare clinic remains committed to providing family planning and SRH services to all.      Story by Malarvili Meganathan, Communications Manager, IPPF ESEAOR [email protected] & Liska Fauziah, Communications Focal Point, IPPA [email protected]  For more updates on our work, follow IPPF ESEAOR on Facebook and Instagram

Rizal is a mountainous province located east of the Philippines' capital, Manila. Perched on the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountain, it is named after Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero.    "Most of us were unable to schedule a primary care appointment during the COVID-19 lockdown. We do not have the time or money to travel back and forth to a health facility,” says Rowen, a 26-year-old mom from Cardon, Rizal province.  Irene, a 19-year-old teenager, who also resides in Rizal province echoes the sentiment. “The pandemic has severely impacted our livelihoods. Sexual and reproductive health is not a priority for people in my community. We simply do not have the means.”   Irene’s village was identified by the Bureau of Local Health Development as a “geographically isolated and disadvantaged area” or GIDA, referring to hard-to-reach communities geographically, socially and/ or politically separated from wider society due to uneven socio-economic development. According to government data, the country has 4,317 GIDA barangays (villages).     In September 2021, the Family Planning Organisation of the Philippines (FPOP) developed and piloted ‘Reproductive Health Now (RH Now)’, a home delivery service program. RH NOW facilitates door-to-door delivery service for SRH commodities such as oral contraceptive pills, condoms, pregnancy testing kits, and medicines for use by both clients seeking support through digital and hotline services, along with regular clients unable to access in-clinic care. Guidelines in implementing the RH Now service delivery program were developed by FPOP with the technical and financial support provided by the Australian government-funded RESPOND project amid ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. The guidelines act as a tool to assist FPOP and service providers in the scale-up of essential sexual and reproductive health services to all, especially vulnerable and disadvantaged clients, including those living in GIDA areas, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ+ individuals.   The services began in Quezon City and were later expanded to Taguig City, Navotas City, Muntinlupa City, Las Pinas, and San Mateo municipality in Rizal province, with a focus on areas with a high demand for contraception based on inquiries received via the FPOP hotline and Facebook page. When a client inquires via social media, the client's needs are assessed during online counselling to determine whether the client requires self-administered family planning commodities like pills or referral to the nearest medical facility for any other SRH concerns.     FPOP's home delivery services are the only way for women like Rowen and Irene to receive quality contraceptive care and counselling. "I'm grateful to the mobile team for providing me with information on various methods of contraception. I want to have control over how many children I have and when they are born," she says.  RH NOW home delivery is now one of FPOP's primary channels for providing quality, comprehensive SRH services to clients in the comfort of their own homes. The implementation of RH NOW has also resulted in an increase in the number of clients receiving digital self-care interventions. To date, 18,011 clients have used digital self-care models to access SRH services.   “The RESPOND project has made significant contributions to the strengthening of Navotas City's family planning programme," said Dr Elenita Felipe, FP Coordinator, Navotas City Health Department. Navotas is a highly urbanised city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.  Strong collaboration with Local Government Units (LGUs) and health departments is critical to ensuring the long-term viability of these initiatives by investing in reproductive health and providing SRH services to clients in GIDA areas. Story by: Malarvili Meganathan, Communications Manager, IPPF ESEAOR [email protected] Radzini Oledan [email protected]  For more updates on our work, follow IPPF ESEAOR on Facebook and Instagram

23 young people from rural Guadalcanal are currently being trained with the Solomon Island Planned Parenthood Association (SIPPA) on Family Life Education curriculum for out-of-school youth, a new curriculum under the Ministry of Health and Medical services - Reproductive Health Unit. SIPPA through International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has been able to support the rollout of this important facilitators training in Honiara, Guadalcanal and Malaita Provinces with support under the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) Pacific Transformative Agenda programme. Jack Martin Senior Program Officer Youth/CSE of the International Planned-Parenthood Federation Sub Regional office for the Pacific (SROP) who is responsible for the programme stated that this programme is implemented across six Pacific Island countries including Solomon Islands. Martin said the program is to equip young people with information about Family Life Education curriculum for out-of-school young people, the custodian of this curriculum is the Ministry of Health and Medical Service and SIPPA is piloting the rollout with young people in Solomon Islands. He said there is also a curriculum being developed to cater for the in-school program which is a joint partnership between the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Medical Service, civil society organizations in the health sector, Family Planning New South Wales which had supported development of the out-of-school curriculum is also leading the development of the in-school curriculum. Martin said Solomon Islands has a youthful population with 20-30 percent of the total population between the ages of 15 – 24 according to estimates for 2021. The annual growth rate of 2.7% from 2009 to 2019 and a 5.3% increase in the urban population confirms the intersect between youth bulge and urbanisation as highlighted by the State of Pacific Youth report of 2017, the youth bulge present both opportunities and challenges for development, including increasing competition for employment, services, and other opportunities.  So, with this training we anticipate the trained young people will be equipped to share with other young people in their own communities the important information on population and development and able to link other young people to clinical services and other referral pathways that support youth reproductive health and rights. He said the overall UNFPA Transformative Agenda programme is a result of the strong inputs and commitments made by the Solomon Islands Government through Ministry of Health and Medical services and its national stakeholders to support reduction of teenage pregnancy and related reproductive health issues for young people in Solomon Islands, without Government support this would not be possible. He further acknowledges the ongoing support and commitment of the Australia Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for supporting the project in Solomon Islands and across the Pacific region.