Sistah Sistah Foundation, an AmplifyChange Opportunity grantee partner, share how they are improving access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information for girls, young women, and female-bodied people through digital technology.
In Zambia, adolescents and young women experience high rates of teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortion, gender-based violence, and limited access to youth-friendly health services. Rural and peri-urban communities are especially underserved. 29% of girls having been pregnant or had a child by the age of 18, with higher rates seen in rural areas (37%) compared to urban areas (17%). Access to accurate, age-appropriate information is uneven, and myths and misinformation continue to shape decision-making. Conversations around sexuality, abortion, contraception, menstruation, and pleasure are often silenced by cultural and religious norms.
While policies supporting adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) exist, implementation gaps remain. Many young people do not know their rights, do not know where to find confidential services, or fear stigma and judgment from providers.
Sistah Sistah Foundation works in Zambia, rooted in communities where young women, girls, and female-bodied people continue to face barriers in accessing SRHR information and services. Our work addresses these gaps by increasing access to accurate, rights-based information, strengthening linkages to trusted service providers, and challenging harmful social norms that limit bodily autonomy. Through digital innovation and community engagement, we are working to ensure that young people can make informed decisions about their bodies and lives.
Building a Solution
Through support from AmplifyChange, Sistah Sistah Foundation developed and launched the Spot App, a feminist, youth-friendly digital platform designed to improve access to comprehensive, rights-based SRHR information and services for young women, girls, and female-bodied persons. The app covers topics such as contraception, abortion, menstrual health, consent, sexually transmitted infections, and reproductive rights laws. Currently, it reaches over 400 users across its Android, iOS and web-based platforms.
We believe young women, girls, and female-bodied persons should not just be beneficiaries of programs, but active participants in shaping them. From the beginning, we involved young people in the design and testing of the Spot App. We asked them what information they needed, how they searched for services, and what made them feel safe online. Their feedback shaped the app’s language, layout, and features. We chose direct, accessible, and non-judgmental content because that is what young people told us they were looking for.
A central feature of the project is the service provider registry. The registry connects users to verified, youth-friendly organisations and health facilities that provide SRHR services; currently, there are seven providers in the registry, but work is ongoing to expand this number further. The registry helps bridge the gap between information and care. Young people are not only learning about their rights but also identifying safe and trusted providers in their communities.
Some organisations were initially hesitant to join the registry, so we held direct conversations to explain the platform’s purpose and the benefits of being listed as a youth-friendly provider. This approach helped build trust and accountability within the ecosystem and strengthened partnerships with service providers.
Filling the Gaps
Why did we create the Spot App?
Many young people were reaching out to Sistah Sistah Foundation through our Instagram and Twitter (X) direct messages. They were asking urgent and personal questions about pregnancy scares, contraception, abortion, irregular periods, sexually transmitted infections, and consent. Many of them did not know where to go offline. Some were scared to visit clinics. Others had already had negative experiences with judgmental providers.
It became clear that young people trusted us enough to ask questions, but we lacked a structured, accessible tool to respond at scale. We were answering messages one by one, and the need kept growing.
At the same time, we knew that Zambia has policies that support adolescent SRHR. But in practice, young women and female-bodied persons still struggle to access confidential and youth-friendly services. There is a gap between rights on paper and access in real life.
We also saw how silence and stigma shape decision-making. Conversations about abortion, contraception, menstruation, and sexuality are often shut down. When young people cannot ask questions openly, they turn to unreliable sources.
The Spot App was created in response to this reality. We wanted to build something practical and safe. A space where young women and female-bodied persons could get accurate information privately and find trusted service providers without fear or shame.
Bridging the Digital and Real Worlds
We did not want the project to exclude those who are already marginalised, so we combined digital innovation with offline outreach. Community engagement sessions, school-based discussions, and youth dialogues ensure that young people who may not have smartphones or reliable internet access still receive accurate information and referrals. This blended approach strengthens both accessibility and long-term impact for young women and female-bodied persons. To date, the project has engaged with over 3,000 individuals during these events.
We understood that access to services is not only about information. It is also about changing the environment that makes young women and female-bodied persons feel ashamed or afraid. So, the project also integrates the F Spot Podcast as a complementary advocacy and education tool. Through open and honest conversations with activists, health professionals, and young people, the podcast challenges stigma and encourages dialogue around issues that are often silenced.
Growing Trust
As part of the Spot App community outreach programme, Sistah Sistah Foundation, alongside Pads for Power, held a menstrual health outreach event in Kalingalinga, a low-income area of Lusaka.
During the outreach, a 14-year-old girl shared that she had never used sanitary pads due to lack of access and relied on pieces of chitenge cloth during her period. The Pads for Power team provided her with pads, showed her how to use them safely, and spoke with her about menstrual health, dignity, and her rights.
She was also introduced to the Spot App and expressed strong interest in learning more. Although she did not own a phone, she said she would download the app on a friend’s device to continue accessing information.
Her story highlights how combining offline outreach with digital tools can expand access to both essential products and knowledge, ensuring young female-bodied persons are not left behind due to poverty or limited access to technology.
Looking Ahead
Since the start of the project, Sistah Sistah Foundation have seen increased openness in conversations around SRHR. Engagement at community events and spaces such as the Feminist Festival showed that young people are more willing to speak about contraceptives, pregnancy prevention, and their experiences with health systems. The F Spot Podcast has further contributed to normalising conversations that are often silenced. Many young people have shared that the Spot App gives them a private and reliable space to access information about contraception, abortion, menstrual health, and consent without fear of judgment. The connection between information and referrals has made the platform practical, not just educational.
The project’s broader impact extends beyond downloads. It includes increased awareness of rights, greater confidence among young women and female-bodied persons to seek services, and stronger connections within the SRHR ecosystem.
Moving forward, we plan to:
- strengthen and expand the service provider registry across different regions;
- deepen our offline outreach, especially in rural and peri-urban communities where smartphone and data access remain barriers; and
- grow the F Spot Podcast by featuring more health professionals, activists, and young people.
The project has positioned Sistah Sistah Foundation as a trusted source of information, especially for young people who previously relied on direct messages through social media to ask urgent questions. By continuing to create open conversations around SRHR, we hope to further challenge stigma and strengthen young people’s confidence in exercising their rights.
