Frequently asked questions

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights that allow people to make informed decisions about relationships, their bodies, family planning, sexuality and well-being. Rights that enable them to have access to a full range of quality sexual and reproductive health services. This includes antenatal and maternal care, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of STIs, including HIV, a choice of safe and effective contraceptive methods, the prevention and management of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as positive and comprehensive sex education. Many people face barriers in the Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality (AAAQ) of SRHR information and services, particularly young people with compounded vulnerabilities.

Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege.

This framework makes us aware of the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as ethnicity, class, gender, age, sexual orientation and ability. It helps us to understand how these overlap to create compounded and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage as well as power and privilege.

It is important to also realise that privilege or disadvantage are not static. They may change over time and context. For example, a Somali doctor might have had power and privilege as an educated woman in her community in Somalia, but things are very different if she is living as a refugee in a refugee camp in Kenya, without access to resources.

Applying an intersectional lens can be done at individual, institutional and/or societal level. Intersectionality might seem theoretical, but can be put into practice by recognising the differences in people's experiences, affirming an individual’s complex and layered identities, and not oversimplifying your language. For example, to avoid generalising issues and to ensure you acknowledge identity differences, don’t use phrases like “all women feel” or “LGBTI people need”. Turning the intersectionality theory into practice includes – but is not limited to – steps like checking your own privilege, listening and learning, making space, questioning your policymakers, and asking for disaggregated data.

Every individual is unique. We all have a different combination of personal characteristics, like age, gender, and physical and mental abilities. Our personal circumstances, whether socio-economic, geographic or a cultural background, may be very different too. Within this reality, diversity is the ‘what’ and inclusion is the ‘how’.

Diversity is the concept of bringing different people together. Inclusion is about accepting different perspectives, a culture that enables diversity to thrive. While diversity focuses on who has a seat at the table, inclusion focuses on who has a voice at the table. An intersectional approach embraces both diversity and inclusion.

Health is a fundamental human right. Health equity is achieved when everyone can realise this right and attain their full potential for health and well-being. However, not all people start off from the same position. Some groups of people experience unfair, avoidable or remediable differences in opportunity due to social, economic, demographic, geographic or another type of inequality. Treating everyone the same is only fair if we all start from the same position.

All individuals, including those who are the most minoritised, should be able to realise their SRHR. A person’s overlapping identities could disadvantage, disempower or discriminate. For example, when people are being left behind and remain excluded from mainstream SRH policy and planning. But the overlap of identities can also give power, privilege and freedoms, enabling the right to SRH services, products and information, for example. With the Make Way programme, we make overlapping vulnerabilities visible to understand their effects on people’s SRHR. We aim to break down barriers to SRHR by promoting a new way of looking at – and organising – SRHR issues: through an intersectional lens. We do this by selecting, training and mentoring CSOs and youth representatives to take up intersectional SRHR advocacy. Together we advocate to widen the civic space where minoritised youth can stand up for their SRHR.

It is possible to become a member of our emerging community of practice on intersectional SRHR lobby and advocacy. Please connect with us via the Contact page of this website.

The choice of countries has been set for the five years of the programme (2021-2025). However, there are no limits to exchanging and sharing knowledge and information. Please connect with us and explain your knowledge needs or what you would like to share.

Make Way is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Some activities are co-funded by other programmes/donors.

You don't need to follow all the steps of the lobby and advocacy cycle, nor do you need to use all the tools. Our website shows you at what step in the advocacy cycle a particular tool is ideally used, but this also depends on your experience and understanding of your context. Also, since advocacy is a context-specific process, some steps/tools can be skipped, while other steps may be used several times according to changes and/or results.

No. This toolkit is a living, online resource that will expand and be adapted as we continue to learn. Tools will be adjusted and further fine-tuned based on new insights and feedback from civil society partners and stakeholders. We would also appreciate your feedback! Please do so by filling in the contact form at the bottom of each tool.

You can use the tools in whichever context you think is appropriate. Please let us know, however, which tools you’ve used, and how you used them, by filling in the contact form at the bottom of the tool.

We encourage civil society organisations to organise their own training, but we do have trainers in each implementation context who are specialised in specific tools. You can invite them to give a training session at your organisation or event. Facilitation is free! We only ask organisers to cover the trainer’s travel and accommodation costs.

You can give feedback on the tools by filling in the contact form at the bottom of each tool, as well as in the top right corner. We appreciate your feedback!