HISTORY

    

More than 80 years ago, Margaret Sanger opened a tiny family planning clinic in a Brooklyn storefront. Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) was born, and with it, an entire movement. The movement was built around the then radical idea - the notion that every women should have the right to choose when and whether to bear a child.

That powerful idea still drives the work of PPNYC and its international arm –the Margaret Sanger Centre International (MSCI). The Margaret Sanger Centre International South Africa (MSCISA) was established in 1998 to support sexual and reproductive health initiatives in Southern Africa. MSCISA is a part of the Margaret Sanger Centre of PPNYC. We have worked in collaboration with governmental, private and community based organisations throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific since 1923.

For four generations, PPNYC and its international arm have built an impressive legacy, but our greatest strength is our embrace for the future. Our challenges grow more acute –AIDS, widening disparities between men and women, developed and developing world– but we remain committed to Margaret Sanger’s vision: creating an enabling environment for women, men and young people to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and provide them quality services responsive to their special needs.

Mission

MSCISA is the Africa Regional Office of the Margaret Sanger Centre International. Our mission is to empower all people to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights by:

  • building local capacity to improve SRH outcomes through education and training, clinical services, and advocacy
  • advocating globally for enabling environments and supportive policies within southern Africa
  • facilitating international exchange of skills and technologies for SRH appropriate to the socio-cultural environments and economic realities of southern Africa.

Values

MSCISA believes:

  • sexual and reproductive health is a basic human right
  • gender equity is essential for both men and women to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights
  • community participation is the key to developing culturally appropriate solutions to local needs
  • diversity should be embraced and celebrated in all its aspects
  • technology appropriate to the cultural and economic realities of the communities with whom we work is a fundamental component of development
  • collaboration enriches products, optimises resources and augments long term effectiveness.