Plan International UK and AstraZeneca's Young Health Programme

Since 2010, Plan International UK and AstraZeneca have partnered together to deliver the Young Health Programme (YHP), a unique global prevention programme to tackle the burden of non-communicable disease (NCD). Focused on health equity, the YHP empowers young people in eight countries globally to reduce their risk of NCDs through peer-to-peer education, community engagement, and advocacy.

Supported by over £20 million in funding from AstraZeneca, the YHP takes a peer education model combined with a gender-transformative, community-based approach. Our partnership is truly collaborative at every level, with teams from AstraZeneca and Plan International working together globally. In 2024, 880 people volunteered their time to support the YHP. We’ve worked together on key advocacy initiatives, such as our Girls’ Takeovers, giving young women involved in the YHP the opportunity to step into leadership roles at AstraZeneca offices, further strengthening our partnership.

To date, the YHP has directly reached 1.1 million young people and indirectly impacted and 62.5 million. Key outcomes include increased clinic visits, improved access to family planning services, and greater awareness of mental health. The YHP demonstrates the power of purpose-driven partnerships, delivering long-term, measurable impacts to the communities Plan International serves, while advancing AstraZeneca’s commitment to health equity.