Project profile — Increasing Access to Safe Abortion and Contraception in Africa

• Zambia (30.17%)
• Kenya (30.79%)
• Nigeria (30.79%)
• Congo, Democratic Republic (8.25%)

• Reproductive health care:
Reproductive health care (13020) (45.00%)
Family planning (13030) (45.00%)
Personnel development for population and reproductive health (13081) (10.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls in selected regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Zambia. The project seeks to strengthen social and political support for women’s and girls’ access to high-quality abortion and contraceptive care and increase the use of these services. Project activities include: (1) providing training on values clarification and attitude transformation to key stakeholders, including Members of Parliament, African Union Commissioners, government officials, youth organizations and partners who are advocating for reform of abortion and family planning laws, especially in the DRC and Adamawa State, Nigeria; (2) increasing the number of facilities that offer high-quality abortion care to women and girls in Zambia and Nigeria; and (3) enhancing community-based organizations and other stakeholders’ capacity to work with poor, underserved women living in hard-to-reach areas.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved social and political support for women's and girls’ access to high-quality abortion and contraceptive care by key influencers and policymakers in Africa; and (2) increased use of high-quality abortion, post-abortion care, and contraception by women and girls, including survivors of gender-based violence, in the North-Western and Eastern Provinces of Zambia and in Adamawa State, Nigeria.

Results achieved as of March 2022 include: (1) 28,874 unsafe abortions were prevented and 4,367 women avoided unintended pregnancies by Ipas providing access to services, including for contraceptives and counselling; (2) the project provided 58,092 visits for family planning support; (3) the project reached 16,702 women and girls with information about their sexual and reproductive health and rights; (4) the project supported 47,632 people with safe, legal abortion or post-abortion care services; (5) the project supported 131 health facilities and trained 1,392 (695 women and 697 men) healthcare workers on various health topics related to abortion and contraceptives; and (6) advocated for policies preventing violence against women and for laws protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights.

• Proactive disclosure