At Adolescents 360’s inception, both modern contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for contraception among girls aged 15-19 remained relatively low in Ethiopia (32%/21%)1, Nigeria (5%/6%), and Tanzania (9%/11%) suggesting that many sexually active girls were either not seeking contraception, or may have desired fertility.
AYSRH investments have commonly segmented young people according to demographics (married/unmarried, rural/urban, etc.) and behaviors (sexually active or not) with limited ability to include youth voice in project design. In doing so, many promising interventions have been created but most require high dosage (multiple sessions touchpoints) and high costs per adopter to achieve contraceptive uptake.
A360 funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, revolutionizes adolescent access to contraception using a transdisciplinary approach of public health, Human-Centered Design, developmental science, cultural anthropology and youth engagement. At all stages, A360 applied a positive youth developmental lens, highlighting youth voice & decision-making, building their intrinsic skills, fostering healthy relationships, strengthening their environment & seeking systems change.
