The Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre (ARSRC), established in 2003, is part of a Ford Foundation five-year grant-making initiative, "Global Dialogue of Sexual Health and Well Being" aimed at giving visibility, depth and legitimacy to the field of sexuality. The goal of the ARSRC is to promote more informed and affirming public dialogue on human sexuality and to contribute to positive changes in the emerging field of sexuality in Africa, by creating mechanisms for learning at the regional level. Activities under the initiative will focus on four of the most populous countries in Africa: Egypt (North Africa), Kenya (East Africa), Nigeria (West Africa) and South Africa (Southern Africa). Action Health Incorporated, a Nigeria-based non-governmental organization, who will also facilitate its activities, is hosting the center.

OVERVIEW OF THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE

Sexuality is a central pivot of the human experience, conditioning societies' abilities to form healthy relationships and interactions. Unfortunately, since the late 1990s, there has been a steady rise around the world of political conservatism and religious fundamentalism that has tended to create a climate of repression, stigma, social criticism and negative moralization around sexuality issues. Within this same period, there has also been a counteracting trend especially in Africa and some other parts of the developing world, of a growing desire for more open and realistic discussion of sexuality issues as a result of the triple epidemics of HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, and abortion-related deaths that disproportionately affect young people.

The Global Dialogue on Sexual Health and Well-being Initiative emerged out of the need to promote more informed and affirming public dialogue on human sexuality and to contribute to positive changes in relevant policies and programs, by creating mechanisms for learning and advocacy at local, regional and global levels. The initiative is a multi-faceted, five-year (2002-2007) grant-making effort of The Ford Foundation to give greater visibility, depth and legitimacy to the field of sexuality. It was developed to respond to the challenges and opportunities that exist for building upon practical approaches for successfully fostering healthy sexuality and bridging the presently wide gulf between research, interventions, and policymaking.

The initiative has two major components:

	Convening of an International Working Group on Sexuality and Social Policy that will work to stimulate global policy debate related to sexuality, sexual health and sexual rights and to promote interfacing between key actors and social movements, and
	Establishment of regional Sexuality Resource Centres located in Latin America, Africa, Asia and North America, to work on sexuality research and advocacy aimed at strengthening national and regional efforts.