The IPPF Africa Region delegation currently on an advocacy mission in Lome, Togo, yesterday held successful talks with the Egyptian Ambassador to Togo His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Karim Sherif. Led by Mr. Lucien Kouakou, the IPPF Africa Region Director, the team shared IPPF’s new Strategic Framework (2016-2022), which highlights the Federation’s vision to continue meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of all women, men and young people across the globe. Mr. Kouakou further demonstrated the contribution of its Member Association in Togo -The Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ATBEF) to the achievement of the country’s development goals, more so those in the health sector.

ATBEF continues to deliver a wide range of quality reproductive health services to the Togo population, including much-needed maternal health services to thousands of women across the country. As a result, ATBEF’s services have significantly contributed to the reduction of maternal mortality in the country. The success of ATBEF has been achieved due to the support of various partners and stakeholders in both the public and private sector. One of these partners has been Egypt, which has over the years made invaluable investments to Togo largely in the fields of health, education and agriculture.

The Egyptian Ambassador pledged his unwavering support to IPPFAR and ATBEF, and further assured the delegation of his commitment to being an ATBEF champion, which will enable the Member Association organization continue to provide essential reproductive health services to the Togo populace.

The IPPFAR delegation also visited the Lake District health in Goumoukopé, 40 km from Lome, where they witnessed ATBEF’s provision of sexual and reproductive health services through the mobile clinic strategy. This activity, which saw hundreds of men, women and young people receive services, was undertaken in collaboration with UNFPA. During the visit, UNFPA’s Resident Representative Mr. Saturnin Epié highlighted the relevance of the collaborative initiatives between the two organizations, and called for strengthened engagements regarding the same.