Ipas Africa Alliance (AA) value the contributions of research towards finding solutions to sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) issues affecting women and girls. In the year 2023, AA carried out a research initiative which looked at how climate change contributes to limited access to the vital SRHR services amongst the population living within the Ardi and semi-arid (ASAL) land.
The research fills an evidence gap concerning the impact of climate change on SRHR in ASAL communities. Study findings highlight the rigors imposed on traditional pastoralist livelihoods by environmental degradation, resulting in conflict with neighboring ethnic groups over limited pastureland and dwindling livestock.
The resultant migration increases distances from health facilities, interrupting contraceptive use, increasing the incidence of unplanned pregnancies, and unsafe abortions.
Pregnant and postpartum women are vulnerable to miscarriage, unskilled delivery, and difficulty producing breastmilk during drought. The study findings concerning local adaptation strategies on change in climate and health system risks will inform SRHR-integrated climate action to bolster the resilience of ASAL communities and health systems.
In the same year, Ipas Africa Alliance published a peer-reviewed paper in BMC Women’s Health, entitled “Pathways to medical abortion self-use (MASU): results from a cross-sectional survey of women’s experiences in Kenya and Uganda.” This study added to the global body of knowledge on women’s experiences with Medical Abortion (MA). It highlighted the critical role played by community members as a valuable information resource for MA.
Resources
The climate crisis is negatively impacting arid- and semi-arid land communities’ sexual and reproductive health and rights.
These learning briefs – a project anchor brief, a user-focused brief, and a pharmacist-focused brief – summarize lessons learned by the PMAC project during multiple phases of the project. Together, our project’s journey to finding scalable and sustainable solutions to increase uptake and continuation of post-MA contraception, and women’s and pharmacists’ journey’s to seeking and providing post-MA contraception, provide a promising road to ensuring access to care for women and sustainable business models for pharmacists.
Ipas Africa Alliance, based in Nairobi, Kenya, is dedicated to advancing reproductive justice across Africa. Operating in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and over 20 counties in Kenya, the organization focuses on reducing deaths from unsafe abortion, transforming social norms, and enhancing legal and policy environments for safe abortion. This executive summary outlines the achievements and impact of Ipas Africa Alliance’s programs during the fiscal year 2022-2023.
News
As Gen Zs across the country were mobilising themselves on social media to push for reforms in government, another set of youth in Homa Bay was using the same platform to advocate for their sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR).
The government has moved to enforce the ban on services offered by the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) across Uganda.