The initiative will strengthen seven Ministry of Public Health facilities in Guayaquil and implement activities with health personnel, adolescents, young women, families, and community leaders.

Guayaquil, October 2026. Centro de Desarrollo y Autogestión (DYA) has launched the project “Effective Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Strengthening of Primary Health Care for Adolescents in Guayaquil,” in coordination with Ecuador’s Ministry of Public Health (MSP).

The initiative aims to contribute to reducing adolescent pregnancy and early unions by strengthening primary health care and promoting changes in social and gender norms. The project is being implemented at seven health centers—Monte Sinaí, Nueva Prosperina, Ciudad Victoria, Socio Vivienda 1, Martha de Roldós, Bastión Popular, and Cisne II—which belong to four technical offices of the Guayas Provincial Health Directorate. These facilities are located in peri-urban areas of Guayaquil, where multidimensional poverty, violence, and structural barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services persist.

Strengthening Health Services

One component of the project focuses on strengthening seven priority health facilities through service assessments, technical and interpersonal skills training for health personnel, specialized training in long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), and ongoing monitoring.

As part of the initial activities, a coordination meeting was held with the Health Promotion team of the Guayas Provincial Health Directorate.

In addition, a project information and activity-planning workshop was conducted with the participation of technical administrators and those responsible for Adolescent-Friendly Comprehensive Care Services at the selected health facilities.

Establishing the Baseline

One of the project’s expected results is the development of a baseline assessment of Adolescent-Friendly Comprehensive Care Services. To this end, visits were conducted to the seven health facilities to gather information that will inform strategies for improving service quality.

Working with Adolescents and Communities

The project also includes a community-based component designed to strengthen the capacities of community leaders, adolescents, and families. Activities will include arts-based educational processes with adolescents and family dialogue spaces aimed at challenging the normalization of early pregnancy and promoting informed discussions about sexual and reproductive health.

From this perspective, strengthening health services goes hand in hand with community engagement, seeking to improve both the capacity to provide care and the social conditions that influence the decisions and experiences of adolescents and young women.

Through this initiative, DYA continues to strengthen its work in community health and the protection and promotion of rights, bringing together institutional and community capacities to expand adolescents’ effective access to sexual and reproductive health services in Guayaquil.