Masarouna: Arab Foundation for Freedom In a region where securing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is especially challenging, Masarouna will mobilize the power of young people’s collective action in six Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries to support their fight for greater freedom of choice and respect for their SRHR through new and innovative pathways for change. Our vision is that young people (YP) meaningfully induce sustainable change that will enable them to enjoy their SRHR.
The Arab Foundation for Freedom andEquality (AFE) is aconsortium partners in the Masarouna project and will:
- Act as regional hub for youth
- Lead on networking and movement building
-Lead on regional advocacy when / if possible and lead on regional messaging to inform advocacy strategies towards Dutch audiences and international stake-holders
- Contribute to develop new narratives on gender and sexuality in local languages.
- Support strengthening of civil society working for Gender and Body rights through organizational, functional and thematic capacity development and convenings
- Support implementation of Security program/measures/strategies (emergency response and
preventative set up)

Context:
In2019, 41.4% of MENA’s population was aged 15-39, making it one of the world’s youngest regions. In recent years, young people have demonstrated their ability to become main drivers for change in response to long-standing structural inequalities, rising authoritarianism and increased levels of conflict and fragility. Young peoplein MENA continue to face some of the most vocal conservative opposition to their SRHR. The problem that Masarouna will tackle is the perpetualobfuscation and the increasing weaponization of SRHR asa form of social control. This strips SRHR of the urgencyit deserves, yet, we strongly believe fulfilling young people’s SRHR can have a transformative effect on sustainable development due to its connection with basic human well-being and gender equality. Strategic objective: Young people in six selected countries in the MENA region achieve more freedom to enjoy their SRHR in inclusive societies.
Targeted group: Young people aged 18-35, in particular (unmarried) women and LGBTQI+. Activists and individuals will be mobilized as agents and drivers of change throughout the programme cycle.

The programme’s strategic objective and outcomes contribute directly to achieving SDGs 3 (health and well-being), 5 (gender equality) and 10 (reduced inequalities. The programme is fully aligned with the ICPD25 Nairobi statement’s call for renewed commitments towards women’s and Young People’s SRHR.

The Masarouna programme implements two main pathways of change:

1: Lobby and advocacy with young people for their SRHR
The first pathway promotes greater accountabilityofgovernments to adhere to international SRHR standards, human rights frameworks and agreements; promotes young people’sactive and meaningful involvement in policy agenda-setting and decision-making; and increases public awareness on SRHR, including through media engagement, aiming to create new narratives on SRHR.

2: Strengthening civil society and reinventing civic space
A strong civilsociety can be a mobilizer, an amplifier of voices and a watchdog. With strengthened capacities, CSOs can createasense of urgency around SRHR to push for sustainable change. CSOs need the space to play this political role, which Masarouna aims to reinvent by promoting the political activation and participation of young people and creating and strengthening alternativecivic spaces, bothonline and offline. Working online allows for reaching young people at scale by circumventing gatekeepers and mitigating risks around censorship.