Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) is a Nigerian non-governmental, non-profit organization and a leading provider of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services. Established in 1959, the organization was founded to address reproductive health challenges, including unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and limited access to family planning services. Over the years, PPFN has expanded its programmes to address broader public health and social development needs.
PPFN works to improve access to affordable, quality, and stigma-free reproductive healthcare, particularly for women, adolescents, young people, children, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. Its activities include family planning, maternal and child healthcare, HIV prevention, sexually transmitted infection screening, cervical cancer screening, adolescent-friendly services, and community-based health education.
The organization combines healthcare delivery with advocacy, volunteer engagement, capacity building, and partnerships with government institutions and development organizations. It also supports humanitarian health interventions for communities affected by conflict, displacement, and natural disasters.
PPFN is a fully accredited member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Its national headquarters is located in Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria, and it maintains a nationwide network of healthcare facilities, partner clinics, outreach teams, and community-based distributors.
Mission
To champion the provision of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, for all people, particularly vulnerable groups.
Vision
A society where all individuals can freely exercise their right to and choice of quality health services.
Core Values
PPFN’s core values include:
- Integrity: Doing what is right and appropriate in service delivery and organizational management.
- Innovation: Using new approaches to address reproductive health and development challenges.
- Competence: Delivering services professionally, efficiently, and effectively.
- Volunteerism: Encouraging committed individuals to contribute to community health and development.
- Sustainability: Supporting the long-term continuity and effectiveness of programmes and services.
Core Areas of Intervention
1. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
- Providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and services.
- Promoting informed reproductive health decisions.
- Improving access to affordable and quality reproductive healthcare.
- Addressing barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services.
- Promoting reproductive rights and dignity.
- Supporting community education and awareness campaigns.
- Engaging stakeholders to improve reproductive health policies and services.
2. Family Planning and Contraceptive Services
- Providing information and counselling on family planning methods.
- Improving access to modern contraceptives.
- Supporting informed contraceptive choices.
- Promoting birth spacing and healthy pregnancy planning.
- Providing contraceptive services through clinics and outreach programmes.
- Training healthcare providers in family planning service delivery.
- Promoting awareness of contraceptive benefits, risks, and possible side effects.
3. Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
- Promoting safe motherhood and healthy pregnancies.
- Supporting antenatal and postnatal care.
- Providing pregnancy testing and appropriate referrals.
- Promoting maternal and child health education.
- Supporting interventions to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
- Providing health information to mothers and caregivers.
- Strengthening access to essential healthcare services for women and children.
4. Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Health Services
- Providing sexual and reproductive health education for adolescents and young people.
- Promoting youth-friendly healthcare services.
- Supporting comprehensive sexuality education.
- Providing information on puberty, contraception, and reproductive health.
- Encouraging responsible and informed health decisions.
- Engaging young people in advocacy and community health initiatives.
- Supporting youth leadership through the Youth Action Movement.
- Addressing barriers that prevent young people from accessing healthcare.
5. HIV/AIDS Prevention and Sexual Health
- Providing HIV counselling and testing services.
- Promoting HIV prevention education.
- Supporting awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
- Providing STI screening and related services.
- Promoting condom use and safer-sex practices.
- Supporting referrals for treatment and follow-up care.
- Addressing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV.
- Integrating HIV prevention into broader reproductive health programmes.
6. Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention
- Providing cervical cancer screening services.
- Raising awareness of cervical cancer prevention.
- Educating women about screening and early detection.
- Promoting appropriate referral and follow-up care.
- Supporting access to reproductive and gynaecological healthcare.
- Engaging communities in cancer prevention awareness campaigns.
7. Humanitarian Health Services
- Delivering reproductive health services in crisis-affected communities.
- Supporting women and girls affected by conflict and displacement.
- Providing family planning information and services during emergencies.
- Promoting access to maternal and reproductive healthcare in humanitarian settings.
- Conducting community outreach in underserved locations.
- Supporting referrals for people requiring specialized healthcare.
- Working with humanitarian partners to address the health needs of vulnerable populations.
8. Malaria Prevention and Treatment Support
- Promoting malaria prevention awareness.
- Supporting malaria testing and referral services.
- Educating pregnant women and caregivers about malaria risks.
- Integrating malaria-related interventions into broader community health activities.
- Supporting public health awareness campaigns.
- Collaborating with healthcare providers to improve access to relevant services.
9. Infertility and Gynaecological Services
- Providing information and counselling on infertility and subfertility.
- Supporting access to reproductive health assessments.
- Providing pregnancy-related testing and counselling.
- Promoting awareness of common gynaecological health conditions.
- Supporting referrals for specialized medical care.
- Providing reproductive health education to individuals and couples.
10. Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
- Promoting women’s access to healthcare and reproductive health information.
- Supporting women’s participation in reproductive health decision-making.
- Addressing gender-related barriers to healthcare.
- Promoting gender-sensitive programme design and implementation.
- Supporting advocacy for women’s health and rights.
- Engaging communities to challenge harmful social norms.
- Encouraging women’s leadership in community health initiatives.
11. Disability Inclusion
- Promoting accessible sexual and reproductive health services for persons with disabilities.
- Addressing discrimination and barriers to healthcare access.
- Encouraging disability-inclusive programme design.
- Supporting reproductive health education for persons with disabilities.
- Promoting the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.
- Engaging relevant stakeholders to improve service accessibility.
12. Community Outreach and Health Education
- Conducting community-based reproductive health education.
- Organizing mobile health outreach programmes.
- Providing health information through community volunteers.
- Promoting early healthcare seeking and preventive practices.
- Engaging community leaders and local stakeholders.
- Strengthening referrals between communities and health facilities.
- Reaching underserved and hard-to-reach populations.
13. Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Monitoring reproductive health and public health programmes.
- Collecting and analysing service delivery data.
- Assessing programme performance and outcomes.
- Supporting evidence-based programme planning.
- Conducting needs assessments and operational research.
- Strengthening accountability and service quality.
- Documenting lessons learned and good practices.
- Using evidence to improve healthcare delivery.
14. Advocacy and Policy Engagement
- Advocating for improved sexual and reproductive health policies.
- Engaging government institutions and policymakers.
- Promoting increased access to family planning services.
- Supporting civil society participation in health policy discussions.
- Raising awareness of reproductive health rights.
- Encouraging sustainable financing for reproductive healthcare.
- Strengthening collaboration between government and civil society organizations.
15. Training and Capacity Building
- Providing sexual and reproductive health training for healthcare professionals.
- Training midwives, community health extension workers, and medical practitioners.
- Strengthening healthcare providers’ counselling skills.
- Supporting community health volunteers and outreach personnel.
- Promoting quality standards in reproductive health service delivery.
- Building the capacity of community-based organizations.
- Supporting professional development in family planning and public health.
Geographic Reach
PPFN operates across Nigeria, with programmes and service delivery networks extending to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Its nationwide approach combines fixed healthcare facilities, associated clinics, mobile outreach teams, and community-based distribution networks. This enables the organization to reach urban and rural populations, including underserved communities and people affected by humanitarian emergencies.
Its programme activities have included:
- Federal Capital Territory: National coordination, reproductive healthcare, family planning, and public health programmes.
- North-East Nigeria: Humanitarian reproductive health interventions and support for crisis-affected populations.
- North-West Nigeria: Community health outreach and reproductive health services.
- North-Central Nigeria: Family planning, maternal health, and community-based healthcare initiatives.
- South-East Nigeria: Reproductive health education, family planning, and clinical services.
- South-South Nigeria: Community health programmes and reproductive healthcare.
- South-West Nigeria: Family planning, maternal health, and reproductive health services.
Specific activities vary by state, available funding, partnerships, and ongoing projects.
Target Beneficiaries and Stakeholders
PPFN’s programmes primarily serve:
- Women of reproductive age.
- Pregnant women and new mothers.
- Adolescents and young people.
- Couples seeking family planning services.
- Children and caregivers.
- People living with HIV.
- Individuals requiring STI screening and reproductive health services.
- Persons with disabilities.
- Vulnerable and underserved populations.
- Internally displaced persons and conflict-affected communities.
- Healthcare workers and community health volunteers.
- Community-based organizations and civil society groups.
- Government health institutions and policymakers.
Partnerships and Collaboration
PPFN collaborates with government institutions, healthcare providers, international development organizations, donors, and civil society partners to improve reproductive health outcomes across Nigeria.
Its reported partners and donors include:
- International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF): Technical support, international collaboration, and organizational standards.
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): Collaboration in sexual and reproductive health and related development initiatives.
- The Global Fund: Support associated with health interventions, including malaria-related programmes.
- Society for Family Health (SFH): Collaboration within Nigeria’s broader reproductive and public health sector.
- Plan International: Engagement in development and humanitarian programming.
- MacArthur Foundation: Reported support for relevant development initiatives.
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Reported support for selected health and development programmes.
- Government health institutions: Collaboration on health service delivery, policy engagement, and community health initiatives.
The nature and duration of these partnerships may differ across individual projects.
Careers and Opportunities
PPFN may offer employment, internship, consultancy, volunteer, and community-based opportunities depending on its programmes, staffing requirements, and available funding.
Potential career areas include:
- Public Health: Public Health Officers, Health Programme Officers, and Community Health Officers.
- Family Planning: Family Planning Officers, Reproductive Health Specialists, and Contraceptive Services Personnel.
- Clinical Services: Clinic Officers, Nurses, Midwives, Medical Officers, and Clinical Support Staff.
- Laboratory Services: Medical Laboratory Scientists, Laboratory Technicians, and Laboratory Assistants.
- HIV and STI Programmes: HIV Testing Services Officers, HIV Prevention Officers, Counsellors, and STI Programme Personnel.
- Maternal and Child Health: Maternal Health Officers, Child Health Officers, and Safe Motherhood Programme Staff.
- Adolescent Health: Youth Programme Officers, Adolescent Health Specialists, and Youth Engagement Officers.
- Gender and Protection: Gender Officers, GBV Prevention Personnel, and Protection Officers.
- Humanitarian Response: Humanitarian Programme Officers, Field Coordinators, and Community Outreach Workers.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: MEAL Officers, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists, Data Collectors, and Data Analysts.
- Research: Research Assistants, Research Officers, and Public Health Researchers.
- Community Mobilization: Community Mobilizers, Advocacy Officers, and Volunteer Coordinators.
- Communications: Communications Officers, Social Media Officers, and Health Education Specialists.
- Finance and Administration: Accountants, Finance Officers, Administrative Assistants, and Human Resources Personnel.
- Logistics and Procurement: Logistics Officers, Procurement Officers, and Supply Chain Personnel.
- Programme Management: Project Officers, Programme Coordinators, Technical Advisers, and Project Managers.
Volunteer and Membership Opportunities
PPFN also has a volunteer-based structure that allows interested individuals to contribute to reproductive health advocacy and community service. Volunteer activities may include community sensitization, health education, outreach support, and youth engagement, depending on local needs and organizational arrangements. The organization has a Youth Action Movement that provides a platform for youth participation in reproductive health initiatives.
Important: These are potential career and volunteer categories, not confirmation that all positions are currently available. Applicants should consult individual recruitment announcements for qualifications, experience, duty stations, and application procedures.
Focus Areas – PPFN
Sexual and Reproductive Health • Family Planning • Contraceptive Services • Maternal and Child Health • Adolescent and Youth Health • HIV/AIDS Prevention • STI Screening • Cervical Cancer Screening • Infertility Services • Humanitarian Healthcare • Malaria Prevention • Gender Equality • Disability Inclusion • Community Outreach • Health Education • Research and Monitoring • Advocacy and Policy Engagement • Volunteerism • Capacity Building • Public Health Systems Strengthening
