In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), young people become sexually active without access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services, facing significant barriers. Pakistan, with approximately 22.7% of its population aged 10-19, presents numerous challenges in addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for adolescents. These challenges include early marriage, unplanned pregnancies, gender discrimination, violence, and low contraceptive use. Additionally, there is limited knowledge and persistent misconceptions surrounding SRH practices and behavior, further exacerbating these issues.

A promising approach to tackling these challenges was the co-design of an SRHR and family planning toolkit in rural Sindh, which actively engaged adolescents in the process. Youth advisors, selected and educated on critical issues such as physical violence, child marriage, and puberty, became motivated to share their knowledge with others. They formed groups and conducted community sessions, raising awareness on SRH topics often unfamiliar to their peers. This presentation will discuss the results of this approach.   

Dr. Salima Meherali is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. Her research interests are in the area of migration and global maternal child & adolescent health. As a principal investigator, she has been involved in community-based participatory action research projects to actively engage with women, adolescents/youth that enhance their healthcare decision-making and improve health and wellbeing. Dr. Meherali has a special interest in research synthesis, scaling up evidence-based interventions in community settings, and knowledge translation research.