Organization Background
Since 1983, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest (PPPSW) has been providing high-quality sexual and reproductive health care for the women, men and youth of San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial counties. PPSW’s mission is to ensure broad public access to reproductive health care through direct service, education, and advocacy. Their doors are open to everyone, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. For many patients, primary care is reproductive health care, so Planned Parenthood is their link to good health.

PPPSW is seeking support of its Coachella Valley Promotoras Program which will help improve sexual health outcomes by: providing education, outreach, and access to clinic services; cultivating a new generation of community leaders by enabling youth promotoras to advocate for reproductive health issues; and teaching youth promotoras how to become advocates for social justice, personal responsibility, and community engagement, and the many other vital skills they will need to become leaders in their communities.

Youth promotoras are part-time employees of PPPSW and receive ongoing training to increase their knowledge and skills, furthering their—and the community’s—economic stability and empowerment. Promotoras make the link between a woman’s economic security and reproductive self-determination: Enabling women and girls to make informed decisions about whether and when to have children not only increases educational and economic opportunities for women, it improves the overall health and well-being of the community. They also seek to engage the women of Riverside County in meaningful conversations, coalitions, and activities that promote reproductive justice, empowering them to be advocates for their own health and rights.