Adolescents face complex and interconnected challenges that affect their health, education, safety, and future opportunities. Issues such as teenage pregnancy, HIV infections, gender-based violence (GBV), child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), stigma, and limited access to youth-friendly health services continue to affect millions of young people across communities.
The Solutions for Supporting Healthy Adolescents and Rights Protection (SHARP) Project was designed to address these challenges by strengthening systems, influencing policies, engaging communities, and amplifying adolescent voices to improve access to quality adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.
Implemented by Access to Medicines Platform (AtMP) as part of a regional initiative funded by the European Union, SHARP was implemented across six countries in the Great Lakes Region: Kenya, Burundi, Zambia, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. The project brought together governments, civil society organizations, youth champions, faith leaders, communities, and health actors to advance adolescent health and rights.
SHARP recognized that improving adolescent health outcomes requires more than providing information or services. Sustainable change requires action across policy, health systems, and communities.
At the policy level, SHARP worked with county and national stakeholders to strengthen adolescent SRHR priorities within policies, budgets, and health frameworks — ensuring commitments translate into implementation and financing.
The project created platforms where decision-makers, communities, and young people could engage in dialogue, identify barriers, and develop solutions that respond to local realities.
SHARP supported health systems to improve the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of adolescent SRH information, services, and commodities.
This included strengthening healthcare provider capacity to deliver respectful, confidential, and youth-friendly services. In Kenya, AtMP supported healthcare worker training in Isiolo County, equipping providers with skills to offer quality adolescent and youth SRH services.
The project also supported the adoption of accountability mechanisms, including structured support supervision approaches to strengthen adolescent-friendly service delivery.
SHARP was grounded in the principle of “nothing about us without us.”
Young people were engaged not only as beneficiaries but as leaders, advocates, and partners in shaping solutions. Youth champions participated in community dialogues, policy discussions, and advocacy initiatives, ensuring adolescent voices influenced decision-making.
Through youth-led approaches, adolescents became champions for SRHR education, protection, and access to services within their communities.
SHARP strengthened collaboration between government, civil society, communities, and young people to improve adolescent health programming.
In Kenya, multi-sectoral engagements in Isiolo and Marsabit counties helped strengthen coordination, referral pathways, accountability mechanisms, and adolescent-responsive health planning.
In Isiolo County, stakeholders developed commitments focused on improving adolescent-friendly services, strengthening referral systems, addressing human resource gaps, and advancing RMNCAH priorities.
SHARP worked with communities, faith leaders, cultural influencers, and young people to address harmful practices and social barriers affecting adolescent girls.
The project supported dialogues addressing issues including child marriage, FGM, GBV, and stigma, while promoting rights-based approaches to adolescent wellbeing.
Faith leaders and community influencers played an important role in challenging harmful narratives and promoting the protection and dignity of girls and young people.
SHARP supported young people to become advocates for their own health and rights.
Youth champions shared knowledge with peers, participated in advocacy spaces, and influenced community conversations around adolescent SRHR.
As one youth champion reflected:
“When young people lead, sustainable change follows.”
A defining achievement of SHARP was ensuring that progress continued beyond the project period.
The project strengthened existing government structures, technical working groups, community partnerships, and youth-led networks to continue advancing adolescent health and rights.
SHARP’s legacy is reflected in stronger partnerships, improved coordination, empowered young people, and health systems that are better positioned to respond to adolescent needs.
At Access to Medicines Platform, we believe adolescents deserve health systems that respect their dignity, protect their rights, and respond to their realities.
Through SHARP, we advanced a future where every adolescent can access accurate information, quality services, and opportunities to thrive.
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