Impact of a Youth-Targeted Reproductive Health Initiative on Teen Pregnancy in South Africa

Tanya Byker, University of Michigan

In the early 2000s, the NGO loveLife, in partnership with the South African Department of Health, rolled out the National Adolescent Friendly Clinic Initiative (NAFCI) with the goal of preventing HIV and unwanted pregnancy through education and increased clinical access to reproductive health services. By 2010, 500 clinics were accredited as "youth friendly." Based on interviews with stakeholders and a series of controls, I argue that the roll-out led to a conditionally random increase in reproductive health knowledge and clinical access for adolescents. I use GPS data and historical residence information from secure National Income Dynamics Study data to geolink respondents’ location during their early teen years to the accreditation date and location of NAFCI clinics. Preliminary results show that women who lived within 5 km of a NAFCI clinic when they were 12-17 years old are significantly less likely to experience a birth before the age of 18.