Make Way

Between 2020 and 2025, Make Way operated as a five-year programme in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. The programme aimed to break down barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for young people facing compounded vulnerabilities, enabling them to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, sexuality, family planning and wellbeing.

Intersectionality approach

At the heart of Make Way was an intersectional approach. We recognised that barriers to SRHR are rarely caused by a single factor. Instead, discrimination and exclusion often intersect across disability, gender, age, ethnicity, poverty, and social position, shaping who can access information, services, and decision-making spaces. Make Way worked to ensure that everyone, including young people with disabilities, can exercise their right to comprehensive sexuality education, self-determination, contraception and quality healthcare.

Resources

Alongside advocacy and programming, Liliane Fonds contributed to the development of training courses, guidelines, and communication tools that strengthened the capacity of social and youth organisations to influence SRHR policies. Find relevant resources below.

Collaboration and partnerships

Make Way was implemented by a consortium of organisations working at local, national, regional, and global levels. Liliane Fonds worked in close collaboration with with Wemos, VSO, Akina Mama wa Africa, Forum for African Women Educationalists and The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians Kenya. The programme was financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Liliane Fonds led the implementation of Make Way in Rwanda, one of the five programme countries. Together with our strategic partner NUDOR and other local partners, we coordinated programme activities and ensured alignment with consortium partners across countries. Liliane Fonds brought a strong disability-inclusive and youth-centred perspective, strengthening intersectional advocacy and meaningful youth participation throughout the programme.

Why Liliane Fonds participated

Due to persistent misconceptions and social stigma, people with disabilities are often excluded from education, employment and healthcare. When it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights, this exclusion is even more pronounced. Young people with disabilities frequently lack access to information, services, and safe spaces to express their needs and choices.

At the same time, people with disabilities are present across all communities and vulnerable groups affected by SRHR inequalities. They cannot be treated as a separate or isolated target group. By participating in Make Way, Liliane Fonds ensured that children and young people with disabilities were meaningfully included in SRHR-related policies, programmes, and advocacy efforts.

Context

Make Way operated in a challenging context marked by shrinking civic space, increasing resistance to SRHR, and economic pressures that strained health systems and limited young people’s access to services. Communities across the five countries faced overlapping crises, including conflict and displacement, climate shocks ranging from droughts to floods, and persistent gaps in services following the COVID-19 pandemic.

These pressures disproportionately affected marginalized youth, particularly young people with disabilities. In response, Make Way applied an intersectional lens to strengthen alliances, empower youth through inclusive safe spaces, and connect SRHR advocacy to health financing and systems strengthening. The programme promoted SRHR services that are available, accessible, acceptable, and of quality (AAAQ) for those furthest behind. This approach aligns with Liliane Fonds’ broader work in fragile and changing environments, where compounded risks demand inclusive and locally rooted solutions.

Results and key milestones

Over five years, Make Way generated meaningful results, learning, and tools for future SRHR advocacy. The programme focused on SRHR policy advocacy, health financing and resource mobilisation, civil society capacity strengthening, countering conservative narratives, and evidence generation and knowledge exchange.

2020–2021: Building foundations

• Consortium governance structures and technical working groups were established, alongside contextualised theories of change, workplans, and risk frameworks.
• Meaningful Youth Engagement was launched through youth panels that created representative platforms for advocacy across countries.
• Intersectionality was translated from concept to practice through early tools, including the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) and Community Score Card (CSC).
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted deep digital access gaps and inclusion barriers, reinforcing the need for targeted, inclusive approaches.

2022–2023: Scaling advocacy and youth participation

• Inclusive safe spaces were introduced and adapted from existing community structures, providing young people with places to learn, connect, and develop advocacy skills.
• Safe spaces for specific identities, including young people with disabilities, addressed isolation and exclusion and became central to youth mobilisation.
• Advocacy intensified around health systems quality and accountability, with technical support provided for health budgeting and SRHR financing in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda.
• The Intersectional SRHR Toolkit was launched, including ten tools such as a youth engagement guide and budget analysis checklist, accompanied by training and pilot use.
• Increasing backlash from conservative groups required proactive communication strategies and risk mitigation.

2024–2025: Deepening youth leadership and sustainability

• Youth leadership was strengthened through Youth-Led Research and Meaningful Youth Participation strategies.
• Regional youth with disabilities conducted research across all programme countries, using findings to inform advocacy and policy dialogue.
• Safe spaces continued to evolve as hubs for addressing gender-based violence, peer learning, psychosocial support and advocacy preparation.
• Regional and global engagement expanded through participation in international platforms, disability rights coalitions, and initiatives such as advocacy around the African Disability Protocol.
• Sustainability efforts focused on knowledge transfer, strengthening local advocacy capacity, and documenting lessons learned through accessible knowledge products.

Lessons learned

Intersectionality as a catalyst for change
Applying an intersectional lens reshaped SRHR advocacy, equipping partners and duty-bearers with practical tools to address compounded vulnerabilities.

Inclusive, youth-led advocacy strengthens impact
Structured and inclusive youth platforms, including regional youth councils and cross-movement coalitions, significantly increased the influence of marginalized young people.

SRHR for people with disabilities must be intentional
Make Way succeeded in placing the SRHR rights of people with disabilities firmly on the agenda by amplifying their voices, strengthening safe spaces, and supporting disability-focused advocacy.

Linking local action to regional and global advocacy matters
As a multi-country consortium, Make Way connected local experiences to regional and international policy spaces, increasing visibility and influence.

Connecting agendas opens doors
Linking SRHR to health financing, disability justice, and education created new advocacy entry points and helped reduce political resistance.

Meaningful Youth Participation requires systemic change
Despite progress, stigma, economic insecurity, and accessibility barriers continue to limit equitable participation. Advocacy gains must be accompanied by deeper structural reforms.

Learn more: Resources and tools

> Documentary about Inclusive safe spaces: Voices of change
Youth from Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, and Kenya share how inclusive safe spaces build confidence, solidarity, and advocacy power.

> Animated video: How to create an inclusive safe space?
A practical guide outlining seven steps to create safe spaces free from discrimination, judgement, and violence.

> Booklet – Best practices in inclusive advocacy
A compilation of lessons and good practices from five years of inclusive SRHR advocacy.

> Roadmap for Meaningful Youth Participation (print version)
A step-by-step guide to embedding meaningful youth participation from a disability perspective in programmes and policies.

> Roadmap for Meaningful Youth Participation (interactive version)
An interactive journey supporting organisations and policymakers to design inclusive, youth-led initiatives.

> Youth-Led Research
This report summarises the findings from the youth-led research conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Rwanda. It explores barriers to SRHR access, stakeholder roles, opportunities for inclusive programming, and recommendations for policy and practice.