The year 2018 marked the fifth year of the Safeguard Young People (SYP) Programme, it was also the second year of its Phase II, 2017-2019. SYP is UNFPA East and Southern Africa youth flagship programme, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and other development partners according to the different countries of implementation. Now, exactly in the middle of Phase II, we look back and we also look forward – to what we have already accomplished, often exceeding expectations, and to what we need to do to meet our targets for 2019.
SYP aims to empower young people aged 10 to 24 years to lead healthy lives and to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, from unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, early marriages, gender-based violence and harmful cultural practices. At the same time, SYP promotes inclusiveness, gender equitable norms and protective behaviours.
SYP works in eight countries in Southern Africa: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SYP is the only programme in the region that fully operationalizes the East and Southern Africa (ESA) Ministerial Commitment on comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people.
