Make Way

An intersectional approach to improve access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for vulnerable young people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

Intersectionality forms the foundation

Make Way is a five-year programme in Ethiopia, Kenia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia that aims to teach vulnerable young people to stand up for their rights and improve access to the right information and services. In this programme, we work on lobby and advocacy efforts for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for vulnerable young people. Intersectionality forms the foundation of our perspective: we look at how the interaction between prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion in the field of, for example, disability, ethnicity, gender, and social position influence accessibility to SRHR. Everyone is entitled to comprehensive sexuality education, self-determination, access to contraception, and medical care.

For Make Way, the Liliane Foundation develops training courses, guidelines, and communication tools to boost the capacity of social and youth organisations to influence policy on SRHR. Information and tools can be found on www.make-way.org.

Collaboration

We work in association with Wemos, VSO, Akina Mama wa Africa, Forum for African Women Educationalists, and the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians Kenya. Make Way is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Liliane Foundation is in the lead of the Make Way programme in Rwanda, one of the five countries where the programme is running. In Rwanda, our strategic partner organisation Nudor is implementing the programme together with local partners. We coordinate alignment with consortium partners and the other countries.

Why we participate

Children and youth with disabilities are like all other youth: they have dreams, ambitions and hopes for the future, including education, access to health care, a decent job, a partner and a family. Due to misguided beliefs and social prejudices, they are excluded and denied information and access to SRHR-related services and care, leaving them amongst the most marginalised groups when it comes to SRHR.

Furthermore, people with disabilities are found in all key and vulnerable sectors of society when it comes to SRHR and can therefore not be seen as a separate target group. By contributing to Make Way the Liliane Foundation ensures the inclusion of children and young people with a disability in SRHR-related policies and programmes.