Improved family planning and maternal and reproductive health can transform the lives of women, families, and nations.
Access to voluntary family planning and maternal and reproductive health information and services enables people and their families to meet their needs while contributing to sustainable development.
PRB’s novel approaches to analyze and communicate population and maternal and reproductive health data propel decisionmakers to act. We communicate complex concepts such as the demographic dividend and the impact of malnutrition for mothers and infants in ways that are technically accurate yet easily understood by policymakers. We apply innovative analytical and visualization techniques to help identify barriers and gaps on important family planning and reproductive and maternal health priorities, such as contraceptive use patterns and adolescent fertility.
Through the MOMENTUM Knowledge Accelerator project, we use learning, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, and strategic communication systems, tools, and products to gather and disseminate information that supports improvements in maternal, newborn, and child health services; voluntary family planning; and reproductive health care.
We also train journalists and advocates to understand family planning and population data and use it to elevate these issues in community and media dialogue. Our pioneering work with journalists has helped mobilize support for youth sexual and reproductive health policies through media coverage of often taboo subjects, including premarital sexual activity, unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and the spread of sexual violence and transactional sex among young people.
We promote youth leadership and advocacy through capacity building and partnerships like those in our Empowering Evidence-Driven Advocacy project. We offer young people the opportunity to lead policy change efforts—on a range of subjects most relevant to them—through policy research, evidence-based communication, and targeted advocacy strategies. Our work in meaningful youth engagement is based on our understanding that youth are powerful influencers shaping policy and program landscapes globally.
These activities create the space necessary to bring together researchers, practitioners, advocates, and policymakers to advance policies that expand access to voluntary family planning and maternal and reproductive health to all.
