Y-PEER, UNFPA’s youth leadership network, organized 20 sports festivals in 20 governorates across Egypt aimed at building the capacity of young people using interactive methods, with the support of the European Union.

The festivals brought nearly 500 young people together and included a three-day festival using sports techniques, aimed at increasing the knowledge of young people on family planning and the benefits of small-size families, and providing them with the skills and sports techniques required to organize sports days to benefit other members of their respective communities.

The festivals were held in Population Clubs and Youth Centers in different governorates including Aswan, Giza, Fayoum, North Sinai, Qena, Kafr al-Sheikh and Menufiya.

Following the festivals, the participants successfully organized 57 sports days in Population Clubs and Youth Centers in 15 of their respective governorates reaching nearly 3000 young people with messages on family planning and the benefits of small-sized family.

This comes as part of the “EU support of Egypt's National Population Strategy,” with the support of an EU-grant of 27 Million Euros.

The project aims at increasing the use of voluntary, rights-based family planning through improved supply of family planning services and commodities, increased demand for family planning, and enhanced governance for implementation of the National Population Strategy. It will ultimately benefit Egyptians of reproductive age who will have more choices regarding the size of their families, as well as the timing and spacing of children. 

One of the National Population Strategy’s main objectives is to educate young people and people in reproductive age and raise awareness on family planning and the value of smaller family size.