For my favorite bloggers, writers and women’s rights folks…I saw the need for this first-hand the last two weeks in Tanzania. Visiting remote, rural areas there, we discovered that young people were becoming sexually active at 13-14 years and had no access to information or services…let me know if you’re interested in writing about it and I’m happy to provide more information.

 

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Three Billion Reasons Why Pathfinder is Launching a Unique Campaign for Young People

 

June 8, 2010–Tonight, at a special event in Washington, DC as part of the Women Deliver Conference, Pathfinder International is publicly launching a new initiative, the 3 Billion Reasons Campaign. The campaign calls upon the international donor community and developing country governments to act now to protect and promote the sexual and reproductive rights and health of the world’s 3 billion young people.

 

“We have people ask us, why youth? And I say, because they represent three billion of the best reasons and opportunities for global development,” Gwyn Hainsworth, Pathfinder’s Senior Adolescent Advisor and leader of the campaign said. “When young people have access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, their lives are transformed. They are more able to make healthy decisions for their futures like delaying marriage and childbirth, or taking measures to protect themselves from HIV.”

 

Nearly half the world’s population is under the age of 25 and most live in developing nations. Of these, 1.8 billion young people are between the ages of 10 and 24. This enormous group of young people holds remarkable potential for the future of their communities. They are a tremendous resource for sustained economic growth and development—but only if they are healthy. Young people in developing countries are among those most at risk of poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among young women aged 15-19, young people experience 100 million cases of sexually transmitted infections annually and nearly half of all new HIV infections occur among young people under the age of 25.  

 

“Targeted investments in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health will yield benefits for generations to come; failure to act will have global reverberations. This investment is critical to making significant gains in global health outcomes and achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” said Dan Pellegrom, president of Pathfinder.

 

Sexual and reproductive health is a human right—but adolescents’ needs are often overlooked. While there are a number of important initiatives to promote the empowerment of adolescent girls, it is clear that girls and young women will not be able to realize their full potential without equal commitment and attention to their sexual and reproductive well-being. In addition, no real progress can be made without also engaging and meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescent boys and young men. Investing in the sexual and reproductive health of today's 3 billion young people is a matter of urgency for donors, developing country governments, and the international health community alike. 

 

For more information about the campaign visit: www.3billionreasons.org.

 

For questions, please contact: Gwyn Hainsworth (ghainsworth@pathfind.org) or Kristy Kade (kkade@pathfind.org).