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Our dream is to end unsafe abortions worldwide.
Through the She Makes Her Safe Choice programme, Rutgers and its partners are drastically reducing the number of unsafe abortions and maternal deaths worldwide by improving access to safe abortion methods, contraception, information and services.
Locations
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya and Togo
Objective
To make safe abortion widely available and accessible for those who need it, with a current focus on Ethiopia, Kenya and Francophone West Africa, as well as globally.
Length of programme
2019-2021
Partner organisations
DKT Kenya
Shujaaz Inc.
Ipas Africa Alliance
Reproductive Health Network Kenya
DKT Ethiopia
Triggerise Ethiopia
Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia
DKT WomanCare Global
Women First Digital
DKT Francophone West And Central Africa
Ipas francophone region
Association Beninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille
Movement Action des Jeunes Benin
African Population and Health Research Centre
Funded by
Nationale Postcode Loterij (NPL Droomfonds)
Every year 22 million women globally have unsafe abortions and up to 44,000 die from the complications. Five million women face serious, lifelong health problems as a result of an unsafe abortion.
Women should have the right to choose about their own lives and bodies, including whether or not to have a child, and receive the necessary support to realise these choices safely. It is crucial for every person – regardless of their age or marital status – to get information about sexuality and have access to contraception and safe abortion.
By the end of 2021, we aim to have prevented 160,000 unintended pregnancies and 2.6 million unsafe abortions worldwide, saving 8,000 women’s lives.
While ambitious, we are exceeding these targets. At the end of 2020, we had already prevented over 3.6 million unsafe abortions and 10,000 maternal deaths worldwide. We have also exceeded our target of reaching more than 2 million women with mHealth or online solutions.
Halfway through the programme, impressive results had already been achieved.
She Makes Her Safe Choice makes safe abortion methods – medical abortion pills and Ipas manual vacuum aspirators – widely available and affordable. We also distribute contraceptives, giving women and girls quality options to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Through our partner DKT WomanCare Global’s platform, manual vacuum aspirators will be distributed to 90 countries by the end of 2021. The platform also provides information and training to distributors on correct use of manual vacuum aspirators as a safe abortion method, and on improving the quality of care.
She Makes Her Safe Choice creates awareness among communities and individuals. It provides information on prevention and safe termination of unintended pregnancies. We refer people to quality products and services through behaviour change campaigns and mHealth (health services supported by mobile devices).
We also advocate for a more conducive legal and political environment for safe abortion. For example, through the approval and implementation of national standards and guidelines.
The programme looks to inspire other countries to adopt these approaches, so more women and young people are aware of their options and safe abortion becomes increasingly available.
The Dutch Postcode Lottery funds the programme, showing courage and leadership in supporting a sensitive issue few donors dare to invest in.