HARMONY: Strengthening the primary care workforce to address maternal and mental health needs for adolescents and young adults in Cambodia

Over the past two decades, Cambodia's health-care system has made substantial strides, improving access to health services and overall population wellbeing. However, significant gaps persist, particularly among Indigenous populations in the northeast provinces, which are home to 70% of Cambodia’s Indigenous population. Issues such as unmet family planning needs, high teenage pregnancy rates and disparities across regions and socio-economic status continue to impede progress. In addition, mental health issues, often overlooked in sexual, reproductive and maternal health policies, are becoming more pronounced, creating an interconnected set of barriers that hinder young women’s health outcomes.

This project will work with local communities to co-design an integrated sexual, reproductive and mental health intervention program for Indigenous adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24) in Cambodia’s northeastern provinces. It will address both the immediate health-care needs and the underlying social and cultural barriers that adolescents face. The project will conduct a landscape analysis to identify critical needs and barriers, followed by a co-design phase with key stakeholders, including adolescents, community leaders and health-care providers. The resulting intervention will be piloted, with data collected for cost analysis and scalability assessment. Ultimately, the project aims to inform national health policies, increase the availability of sexual, reproductive and mental health services, strengthen research and leadership capacities of local early-career researchers and contribute to the broader goal of reducing maternal mortality in Cambodia.