WINDHOEK, Namibia   ̶  The Japanese Ambassador to Namibia H.E. Hideaki Harada on 27 October 2021 visited the youth-friendly Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA) clinic in Katutura, supported by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Namibia to familiarise himself with the services provided by the facility.

NAPPA is a welfare organisation established in 1996 to complement the Ministry of Health and Social Services to provide sexual and reproductive health services and information to young people aged 15‒24 years including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people from the marginalised and underserved area around Katutura.

Together with the UNFPA Namibia Representative, Sheila Roseau, H.E. Hideaki Haranda met with Executive Director of NAPPA, Frieda Stefanus and health workers at the facility.

The clinic offers a range of sexual and reproductive health needs, including family planning, pregnancy tests and counseling, cervical cancer screening, antenatal care, sexually transmitted infections (STI) screening and HIV testing and treatment.

Adding to their menu of integrated services is now pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, medical male circumcision referrals, cancer screening and treatment through cryotherapy as well as health education in schools and surrounding community through their community volunteers.

The NAPPA Executive Director, Stefanus emphasised the importance of integrated services and the challenges to providing sustainable care.