The National Action Plan for Advancing the Health and Development of Young people (2010) stipulates the integration of Adolescent Youth Friendly Health Services (AYFHS) into the Primary Health Centre (PHC) system as one of the key actions for improving the access of young people to appropriate youth friendly services and by extension improving their sexual and reproductive health.

Worldwide, research shows that investing in the poorest girls in the poorest communities is a vital strategy for interrupting intergenerational poverty, promoting better health outcomes and achieving fertility goals.

This report is based on interviews conducted with out-of-school adolescent girls in Makoko, Lagos by Action Health Incorporated. It highlights the lived realities of adolescent girls within urban slum communities in Nigeria. Beyond the label “out-of-schools”, these are girls who have individual dreams about a better life and a brighter tomorrow.

“Promoting Young People’s Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Services in Edo and Taraba States” was a two-year project (2010-2012) implemented by AHI with funding from the TY Danjuma Foundation. This report documents findings of the end-of-year assessment conducted to determine the results of the project, as well as challenges and recommendations for further action with advancing sexual and reproductive health programming for young people in Nigeria.

Broken Lives is the story of two adolescent girls married off at an early age. The book synthesizes the challenges encountered, as well as widespread yearnings of married adolescents. The book’s goal is to use these girls’ stories to get community stakeholders geared up towards actions that will bring about an improvement in the standard of living of these married adolescents, as well as inform policies and programming specifically targeted at married adolescents.

This report outlines specific areas of intervention needed to address the state of out-of-school adolescent girls and suggests concrete actions that can help realize one of the Nigerian government’s top priorities—placing the country on the path to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals-a set of internationally agreed upon standards for national and global well-being which can only be achieved with the participation of educated and healthy girls.

This policy brief is based on a study initiated by AHI to broaden understanding about the reality, needs and concerns of out of school adolescent girls, as foundation for evidence- based advocacy and intervention planning for the education, health, safety and livelihood of marginalized girls in Lagos, and similar poor and socially disadvantaged communities in Nigeria.

This report, Matan Quarai, is about the inspirational life stories of a group of women hailing from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Yobe states in Northern Nigeria. These women are called “innovators” because of their novel ‘winwin’ methods of achieving major life goals – motherhood, higher education, career and leadership.

This report documents the experience of the Lagos State Ministry of Education and AHI in effectively instituting and implementing the Family Life and HIV Education curriculum across junior secondary schools in Lagos State between 2003 and 2009.

This report presents results from the assessment of the national response to young people’s sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria in six states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of sexual and reproductive health experience of married adolescents in northern Nigeria. Its focus is the North East, one of the six geo-political regions of Nigeria and locus of Bauchi and Borno states where Action Health Incorporated has developed intervention programmes.

This working paper sheds light on the characteristics of married adolescents in Northern Nigeria. It points out the problems associated with adolescent marriage such as being likely to be in polygamous marriages; lack of access to information especially reproductive health information; deprivation of the opportunity of schooling; increased rate of the country’s high maternal and infant mortality as well as denying adolescent girls good health. Recommendations that would alleviate some of the problems faced by married adolescents are also suggested in this publication.

This kit is a documentation of the implementation of the National Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education Curriculum in Lagos State. It includes chapters on Baseline Survey, Impact, Evaluation, and Lessons Learned on the implementation programme.

This report highlights the reflections of faith-based leaders on issues of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights at a National Consultative Forum with religious leaders held in Kaduna, Nigeria from March 9-10, 2004.

This report highlights issues that were raised during a one-day learning exchange for selected States Ministry of Education (Enugu, Cross River and Plateau) in November 2003.

The Lagos State Government Plan of Action to Empower Marginalised Adolescent Girls has been developed in response to the sheer number of marginalised adolescent girls who are still unreached, the magnitude of challenges they encounter and the need for guidance on how to effectively reach them. The Plan of Action makes the case for enhanced inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder collaboration in efforts to ensure that marginalized adolescent girls are not left behind, in alignment with international commitments and national commitments towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially in Lagos State. It focuses attention on key populations of marginalised adolescent girls and highlights what global research evidence have shown to be the most productive approaches to reaching and empowering them.

The Family Life and HIV Education for Junior Secondary Schools: Students’ Handbook aims to empower young people with the knowledge and skills to live happy and healthy lives. It provides answers to many of the questions young people usually have about the physical and emotional issues they face during adolescence. The handbook covers matters like setting sexual limits, negotiating, making values-based decisions, finding help, and communicating effectively.

This publication is aimed at lecturers of colleges of education in the implementation of the Family Life and Emerging Health Issues (FHLEI) curriculum introduced by the National Commission for Colleges of Education, in response to the national call for preparing the teacher educators, teacher training institutions, education policy makers and practitioners to fight the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The Quality Assurance Tools respond to the challenge of preparing teachers who are better equipped with the knowledge and skills to teach FLHE curriculum at the basic education level more effectively.

In response to reducing the HIV infections and mitigating the impact of AIDS as well as other emerging health issues the NCCE in 2009 introduced the Family Life and Emerging Health Issues (FLEHI), a General Studies course in all NCE awarding institutions in Nigeria. The Strategic Framework of Implementation provides a response that encapsulates directions and strategic actions that will fast track the accomplishment of the goal and objectives of the FLEHI curriculum. It also serves as a guide for monitoring the level and quality of implementation of FLEHI.

This guide responds to the challenge of preparing teachers who are better equipped with the knowledge and skills to teach the FLHE curriculum at the basic education more effectively.

Family Life and Emerging Health Issues Curriculum is designed to promote the acquisition of factual information, formation of positive attitudes and values as well as develop skills to cope with biological, psychological, socio-cultural and spiritual development as human beings. It is intended to build the confidence of the student teachers in imparting knowledge of Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education concepts at the basic school levels. FLEHI will allow the student teachers to have foundational and content competencies as well as skills and leadership in equipping learners towards attaining a healthy future.

The main goal of Family Life and HIV Education Curriculum is the promotion of awareness and prevention against HIV/AIDS. The curriculum is structured is such a way that it provides a framework for the acquisition of knowledge of self and family living from childhood to adulthood. It also reflects a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention education from primary to tertiary levels of education.

This publication sheds light on the status of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and why young people are at risk. It proposes ways through which key stakeholders including parents/guardians, educators, healthcare providers, policy makers, community and religious leaders as well as the mass media can make the difference. This book with chapters on sexual initiation, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, harmful traditional practices as well as mobilizing for action is an invaluable tool for everyone involved in adolescent health programming in Nigeria.

This publication highlights events that led to the convening of the landmark National Conference on Adolescent Reproductive Health in Nigeria in 1999. It details every stage of the conference planning and convening, including identifying key partners, getting donor support, determining activities and publicity for the conference. It also details the challenges that were faced in the course of planning the conference as well as the lessons that were learned.

Islam and Girl-Child Education in Nigeria

Girls’ access to basic education, especially in northern states, has remained low. Only 20% of women in northwest and northeast Nigeria are literate and have attended school.

HIV/AIDS Education in Nigeria

Young people between the ages of 15 to 29 years contribute 60% of new HIV infections. This factsheet summarizes the state of HIV/AIDS education in Nigeria, and the initiatives government has taken to curb the infection rate.

Empowered for Life: Know the Facts About HIV

Young people between the ages of 15 to 29 years account for 3 out of 5 of the new HIV infections recorded in Nigeria annually. This handbook provides accurate and easy-to-understand information about HIV, including the modes of transmission, risk factors, and how you can support people infected with HIV.