Youth Network for Community and Sustainable Development
Organization Details
Youth Network for Community and Sustainable Development (YNCSD) is a youth-led organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and youth empowerment in Nigeria. Through advocacy, capacity building, research, and community engagement, YNCSD works to end harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), promote access to women centered health care and SRHR information, and equip young people especially women and marginalized groups with the tools to lead change. The organization also supports digital platforms like the SafeBank and DIVA hotline to enhance access to reproductive health services and information.
Impact Story
The Youth Network for Community and Sustainable Development (YNCSD) was born out of the urgent need to amplify the voices of young people, particularly women and marginalized communities, in conversations and actions around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and social justice in Nigeria. We exist because too many young people face systemic barriers to accessing accurate SRHR information, services, and safe spaces to express themselves. Harmful practices like female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), the stigmatization of women-centered healthcare, and restrictive gender norms continue to undermine the health, rights, and potential of millions. YNCSD fills this gap by creating youth-centered platforms and movements that drive advocacy, policy influence, and community action.
Our impact is visible in the lives we have touched and the systems we have challenged. Through initiatives like the SCALE II Initiative, we have trained and supported youth champions to lead advocacy against FGM/C in their communities, using storytelling, digital advocacy, and public engagement to shift harmful narratives. We have created tools like the SafeBank, an online SRHR resource platform, and the DIVA Hotline, which connects individuals to confidential women-centered healthcare support, including accurate information and referrals to trusted providers. Our projects have reached thousands with SRHR information, empowered hundreds of youth leaders, supported the transition of professional circumcisers to alternative livelihoods, and engaged traditional and religious leaders in dialogues for change.
At YNCSD, we are building a bold, inclusive movement where young people are not just beneficiaries but leaders of the change they seek. By centering youth in our programs and amplifying underrepresented voices, we are fostering a new generation of advocates committed to creating safer, healthier, and more just communities.
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