Educational Program

Ukrainian culture/media reinforces the idea that women are either "bad girls" (sexual/get abortions) or "good mothers". Ukrainians need facts, resources and progressive voices on sex, birth control and postpartum mood disorders to end stereotypes/stigmas that block women from getting needed healthcare. Our pro-women podcasts will provide evidence based info and health policy news including how proposed changes to national healthcare impact women and how they can advocate for their needs.

Marginalized communities within the Lamu archipelago and on the mainland towards Kenya’s border with Somalia suffer from neglect and insecurity. Militants operating in the area and an ongoing military operation have severely impeded their access to health services. Women and adolescent girls, some of whom have been internally displaced, are disproportionately affected. Their mobility is restricted due to a lack of infrastructure, poverty and the threat of violence.

Young people are most at risk of experiencing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues.In Kenya,1/3 of under 15yrs have had sexual intercourse,with a teen pregnancy rate of 18%.The use of contraceptive is low; 52% of unmarried females report lack of access to family planning.Study on unsafe abortion indicates that girls aged 10-19yrs account for 17% of women who sought post abortion care in public facilities, and that 74% of the moderate of severe complications cases were among this group

Despite progress on gender equity, rates of violence against women/girls are alarming (1,2). 43% of Zambian women of reproductive age experienced GBV (3). Pregnancy is a major risk factor (2, 3). Safe Motherhood efforts increased antenatal (ANC) visits/supervised births, but 4 barriers to health/safety remain: 1. No practice of GBV screening or assessment of risk. 2. No standard tool or practice. 3. No link with community support resources. 4. No evidence for policy decisions/planning or supports.

We focus on the need and impact of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for adolescents. Nepal has a high rate of adolescent pregnancy, child marriage, unmet contraceptive need and gender disparity. Access to information (SRH), particularly in rural and earthquake recovery areas, is limited by cultural values and the education curriculum is not effectively meeting needs.. Adolescent SRH information will improve reproductive health and social empowerment for girls and sexual health for boys.

Currently, Uganda is hosting about one million South Sudanese refugees many of whom are vulnerable women and children who have witnessed or experienced some forms of violence. As numbers of refugees surge due to the ongoing insecurity and famine in South Sudan, and reduced international funding, refugees have witnessed cuts in their food rations and essential health services affecting the livelihood and wellbeing of the most vulnerable women and unaccompanied children.

South Sudan is an African country that is recovering from civil war, famines, and political instability. Despite its petroleum reserves, Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is 789 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Previously, it was 2,054 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, which was the highest in the world. Still, more than 80% of childbirths happen without the help from a skilled birth attendant and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal deaths in the country.

Sex work, which has ambiguous legal status in Nepal, offers girls and young women from poor and marginalized communities a decent income. However, social exclusion and criminalization of sex work has limited their access to social institutions and further marginalized their status. Fearful of being discriminated by health workers and exposed as sex workers to family and friends, they shun health providers. This has denied them their basic human rights and made them vulnerable to poor health.

In Mali, a country with remote populations and threats to stability, access to accurate diagnosis, treatment and appropriate referral determines a child's survival. In 2007, the Mali Ministry of Health (MMoH) introduced Integrated Community Case Management, authorizing community health workers (CHWs) to diagnose and treat pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition in children under five. In 2013 Mali reported 231,548 pneumonia cases, and only 20% were treated by CHWs. Increasing the quality of CHWs’ diagnostic skills is challenged by inadequate funding.

Vaccine-preventable diseases result in over 1.5 million deaths in children under 5 annually (WHO 2015). In Peru, vaccine coverage of children under 12 months can reach as low as 44% in remote areas without access to immediate health services (MINSA 2013). Limited vaccine coverage is a multi-pronged issue, resulting from limited knowledge about and access to vaccines as well as deficits in immunization systems.We propose to design and implement a system integrating mobile devices with an electronic database of immunization histories.