CPAR is a non-governmental organization working in partnership with health professionals, vulnerable communities and governments to build health systems capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. For over 35 years, CPAR has made a commitment to long-term change in rural East Africa. CPAR employs a community-centered development approach, working alongside African community members in Ethiopia, Malawi and Tanzania, to develop initiatives that best address their needs, where they live. CPAR works to improve the quality of life, and that of future generations for these vulnerable populations.
In Ethiopia, CPAR’s recent work has focused on improving the capacity of health care workers involved in emergency medicine to deliver higher caliber services at the hospital and health center levels to patients in rural locations. In the coming months, CPAR will be growing its work in the area of sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with an emphasis on supporting the ministry of health to provide greater access to quality SRHR services, specifically for women and adolescents. Gender equality, health education, and sexual and reproductive rights will be at the center of CPAR’s approach to provide young people, especially girls, with the tools they need to protect themselves from sexual and gender-based violence and other harmful traditional practices. The targeted communities have high levels of child marriage, early pregnancy and related maternal health complications due to the particularly low SRHR coverage and prevalence of gender discriminatory cultural norms. Addressing obstetric fistula through community awareness, patient identification, and referral will also be a feature of CPAR’s Programming.
