The Afghan Family Guidance Association (AFGA) was established in 1968 and today delivers a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services and programmes.

The country has some of the poorest sexual and reproductive health (SRH) statistics in the world, including:

• 1 in 8 lifetime risk of maternal death
• 13% of women aged 15-19 give birth annually
•  28% of children die before they reach their 5th birthday

In the light of such fierce challenges, AFGA’s work is vital. Activity was suspended between 1992 and 2002 owing to war and conflict, but now the organization has permanent clinics and mobile facilities.

AFGA’s Family Welfare Centres (located in Kabul, Herat and Jalalabad) provide information on contraceptives, and free contraception; counselling on family planning, adolescent health and HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment; antenatal and post-natal care (where no government-run facilities are readily accessible); screening and treatment of  sexually transmitted infections (STIs); basic infertility treatment; and referral of complicated cases to hospital departments.

USPs of AFGA:

Wide- reach: One of the oldest non-governmental organizations in the country and the sole private provider of SRHR services - contributing significantly to the national SRH health statistics.

Strong networks: Has sustained relationships with the government and ministries like Public Health (MoPH), Islamic Affairs, Women Affairs; professional organizations like Afghanistan Midwifery Association (AMA) and International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), and  international agencies including UNFPA.

Community-led: Boasts of a strong midwives led SRH program to deliver quality SRH including obstetric care to the underserved communities including those in fragile settings.

Resilient: Fighting challenges including resource constraints, embraced innovations (E.G. AFGA Midwifery Helpline Centre) and built a robust digitized data management system including an eCMIS.

Youth-focused: Involved in continuous advocacy with multiple stakeholders like MoPH, Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Hajj & Religious Affairs (MoHRA) for inclusion of CSE curriculum in schools