CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST The International Planned Parenthood Federation for Africa Region (IPPFAR) is pleased to announce a call for Expressions of Interest for interested organizations to become involved in their Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) programme, and join the Regional Coordination and Advisory Committee (RCAC), the advisory body that will to ensure inclusive and participatory governance of FON’s grant-making mechanism for feminist organizations across Africa: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Kenya and potentially Niger.   Apply by 19 February 2023 More infos : https://bit.ly/3wJeV7o    

In Kenya, abortion is regulated by article 26(4) of the Constitution which states that: abortion is permitted (and legal) when in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger, or if permitted by any other written law. Unsafe abortion in Kenya is among the highest in Africa. According to Dr Ann Kihara from the International Federation of Gygaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) maternal mortality is high at about 6,000 deaths per year and 17% of them are as a result of complications from unsafe abortion. Most of these cases have moderate to severe complications requiring specialized treatment and often have lasting health effects. Despite these statistics, most healthcare providers in Kenya lack comprehensive knowledge on the laws that and access to abortion care, and the skills to effectively assess, recommend and provide abortion care within the constitutional provision. Moreover, existing adverse social cultural and religious beliefs create barriers for effective counseling, assessment, referrals, and provision of life saving comprehensive abortion services. Through the support of the Guttmacher Institute and the International Plan Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR), Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) conducted a training for private healthcare providers on Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) from 17th to 21st October 2022 in Bungoma County, Western Kenya. The training included in depth learning activities and discussions on the legal framework for comprehensive abortion care, consequences of unsafe abortion in Kenya, counselling for post abortion care (PAC), infection prevention, complications and management, counselling for informed decision making in post abortion care and pain management. The main objective of the training was to contribute towards reduction of abortion stigma and creating an enabling environment for quality service provision by private healthcare providers in the County. Beverlynn Juma, a service provider in Misikhu, shared: “Bungoma County has high incidents of unsafe abortions because people are not open about it, so many unsafe abortions go unreported. CAC training will enable most service providers to be open about the fact that they provide safe abortion services, leading to increased awareness of the availability of these services. Reproductive Health Network Kenya in partnership with the county government will improve the state of abortion by enabling girls to be able to go for the procedure freely hence reducing mortality rates’’. From the testimonials shared by Beverly and other healthcare providers in the training; access to safe abortion information in Bungoma County is also limited due to knowledge gaps on the legality of the service and their obligation as providers. Martin Onyango, the Strategic Legal Expert at the Centre for Reproductive Rights Africa Region stated that his hope and wish is that “…the training invokes the desire to offer safe services by providers and equally empower them to be champions and advocates for safe abortion in their county”. The Bungoma County Reproductive Health Coordinator, Mrs. Christine Naliaka expressed her appreciation for the training and partnership between RHNK and the County government of Bungoma, which in her opinion is very timely and said: “there still exists stigma of CAC & PAC services, clients still hide and don’t open up to safe abortion services despite inevitable conditions like miscarriages. Some of the challenges faced by the facilities in provision of abortion services is that the providers don’t display PAC services on their service charters, no financial allocation of PAC/CAC services from the county government, reporting tools are not available in all facilities, and there is no capacity building of the providers”.   She acknowledged the contribution of partners in promoting service access as most clients from Bungoma receive services from private facilities. Christine also recommended support supervision visits after the training to ascertain whether the providers are compliant and giving quality services such as PAC/CAC as an emergency service. She also mentioned that collaborations and partnership between should be deepened to bridge the information gap in service access, and critically partners should work seamlessly with the county structures to provide more information to the public while working on building the capacity of the providers to create a favorable working environment, and stronger continuum of care.  “The training has been successful especially in terms of establishing a network of providers in Bungoma County as well as filling the gaps in terms of skills gap and having necessary knowledge to provide the services. We believe that the providers we have trained will be part of the network for Bungoma County under RHNK umbrella and provide quality services especially to the under-reached population, the youth, adolescents and women in the rural areas.’’ Dr. Wambulwa, Bungoma County Pharmacist. In order to reduce maternal mortality, it is critical that key stakeholders’ intensify preventive promotive SRHR campaigns for right holders’ awareness of their needs. Stakeholders’ should also promote public-private partnership in building the capacity of Health Care Providers in understanding their professional roles and provision of fundamental human rights. “We applaud the County Government of Bungoma, and all the other partnerships and actors who are working continually and untiringly to expand access to abortion care. Almost 90% of abortions in countries with liberal abortion laws are considered safe, compared to only 25% in countries where abortion is banned. This is a serious violation of human rights. Medical abortion has revolutionised access to care and safe abortion, both inside and outside the health system. These advances must be protected, and at IPPF we are committed to expanding the knowledge of and acceptance around abortion care, reducing the number of deaths of women and girls who are forced to turn to unsafe abortion methods,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Regional Director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Africa Region. The government should prioritize aligning SRHR legal frameworks to create an enabling environment for access to information and healthcare by all. They should ensure increased funds allocation to SRHR including abortion commodities and equipment in both public and private facilities for access to quality and comprehensive SRHR. In conclusion there is need for investment in research for continuous SRHR evidence generation to inform current and future programming centered on the needs of providers, communities and other stakeholders.

Stanley Ngara, from Kenya, is commonly known as the ‘King of Condom’. Stanley spends his days educating people about safe sex practices and distributing condoms. He distributes condoms -for free- to different groups of people among them youth, sex workers, motorbike riders, university students, market traders and even drug users. Stanley is passionate about raising awareness on issues of sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including HIV and AIDS. IPPF Africa Region met Stanley during one of his regular outreach activities in his home area of Kiambu County, located in Kenya’s Central region, and brings you his story. IPPF supports champions like Stanley, who are committed to raising awareness on different SRHR issues in their communities.

Training co-created with How To Use Abortion Pill Training endorsed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Training course complete with quizzes and an option to download a certificate upon successful completion Course comes as World Health Organisation (WHO) issues new guidelines on abortion care and will help put the WHO guidelines into practice globally Over 25 million unsafe abortions occur each year From 2015 to 2019 in Kenya, there were 2,380,000 pregnancies annually. Of these, 1,450,000 pregnancies were unintended and 551,000 ended in abortion Landmark High Court of Kenya ruling in March 2022 affirms abortion care as a fundamental right under the Constitution of Kenya Nairobi – 20th September 2022 – International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and HowToUseAbortionPill.org have developed a free online medical abortion training course to equip healthcare workers with the necessary skills to provide care for women seeking medical abortion up to 13 weeks’ gestation. The course is aimed at the full range of providers, including physicians, midwives, pharmacists, medical students and community health workers. The course, which has been endorsed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), is a seven-lesson video series accessible via the link https://elearning.howtouseabortionpill.org. It covers an overview of abortion care; how to support a medical abortion; symptoms, side effects and complications; and aftercare. The training is framed around four principles of care: person-centred care, rights-based care, quality, and privacy and confidentiality. “Abortion care continues to be left off medical training curriculums,” said Mallah Tabot, Lead SRHR Programming at IPPF Africa Region. “This online course will fill a critical gap in the education of many health workers. It has the potential to significantly increase the number of health workers with the skills and knowledge to provide abortion care, especially in low-resource settings, and thereby increase the number of women supported to safely end a pregnancy.” Unsafe abortion remains a serious global threat to women's health and safety, causing an estimated 7 million hospitalizations and up to 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide each year. Medical abortion is a non-invasive method using two pills - mifepristone and misoprostol - or misoprostol alone.  Medical abortion is safe and effective and is recommended by the Word Health Organisation (WHO). Between 2015 and 2019 in Kenya, there were a total of 2,380,000 pregnancies annually. Of these, 1,450,000 pregnancies were unintended and 551,000 ended in abortion. in Nigeria, there were a total of 10,500,000 pregnancies annually with 2,990,000 unintended and 1,430,000 ended in abortion. In both countries, abortion is legal to preserve the pregnant person’s health. However, a majority of abortions are carried out by unqualified practitioners who run unsafe clinics. “Research shows that when women cannot access safe abortion care, they often seek unsafe methods,”  said Rebecca Wilkins, Technical Lead, Abortion at IPPF.  “This training course provides the information and resources necessary for health workers to support women who choose to have a safe abortion with pills in early pregnancy either within or outside a clinical setting.” The course is hosted on a login-based web portal which can be accessed from desktop or mobile and is structured to be an interactive learning experience, complete with quizzes and an option to download a certificate upon successful completion. In March this year, WHO issued new guidelines on abortion care.  The updated guidelines contain more than 50 recommendations covering clinical practice, health service delivery, and policy and legal actions including ensuring access to quality medical abortion pills. The new online training course is aligned to the clinical protocols recommended in the WHO guidelines. A landmark ruling by the High Court of Kenya in Malindi this year affirmed the right to abortion as a fundamental right under the Kenyan Constitution.  The ruling in a case filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) in 2020 against government officials involved the arrest of a minor and a clinician. It has set a precedent against arbitrary arrests and prosecution of patients and health care providers for seeking or offering abortion services. Such arrests and prosecutions are now deemed illegal according to the new ruling. ENDs  For further information, download the media kit HERE or contact: PR Consultant Njeri Wangari              Tel: +254 (0)722353657, e-mail: [email protected] IPPF: Mahmoud Garga                     Tel.   +254 (0) 704626920, e-mail: [email protected]    Catherine Kilfedder                                                         e-mail: [email protected]   ABOUT IPPF AFRICA REGION (IPPFAR) The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is one of the leading sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service delivery organizations in Africa and a leading sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy voice in the region. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the overarching goal of IPPFAR is to increase access to SRHR services to the most vulnerable youth, men and women, in sub-Saharan Africa.  Supported by thousands of volunteers, IPPFAR tackles the continent's growing SRHR challenges through a network of Member Associations (MAs) in 40 countries. We do this by developing our MAs into efficient entities with the capacity to deliver and sustain high-quality, youth-focused and gender-sensitive services.  We work with Governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, the Pan-African Parliament, and United Nations bodies, among others, to expand political and financial commitments to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa.  Learn more about us on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

By Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry and Nelly Munyasia. Last month, the High Court of Malindi in Kenya ruled that abortion care is a fundamental right under the Constitution of Kenya and that arbitrary arrests and prosecution of patients and healthcare providers for seeking or offering abortion services is illegal. The High Court further confirmed that criminalizing abortion under Penal Code without Constitutional statutory framework is an impairment to the enjoyment of women’s reproductive right and directed the Parliament of Kenya to enact an abortion law and public policy framework that aligns with the Kenyan Constitution.  This incredible result was made possible owing to the efforts of Reproductive HealthNetwork Kenya (RHNK), a network of health professionals within private and public facilities committed to comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), advocacy, and service provision, and the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR), a non-profit legal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and defending reproductive rights worldwide. According to Guttmacher, globally over 120 million unintended pregnancies occurred each year between 2015 and 2019, 61% of which ended in abortion. In countries that restrict access to abortion, the percentage of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion has increased over the past 30 years, from 36% in 1990–1994 to 50% in 2015–2019. Last week, a leaked draft opinion from the United States (US) Supreme Court hinted at a likely overturning of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe V Wade which effectively legalized abortion across all US states. When Roe V Wade was passed some 50 years ago, it set the standard for progressive laws worldwide allowing women to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. 50 years later, the possibility of retrogressing this constitutional commitment in the US and in the rest of the world is looking more likely than ever. Such a decision would de facto open the floodgates of arrests and prosecution of patients and healthcare providers seeking or offering abortion services both in the United States and across the world. Such a move from a global power would also give grist to the anti-abortion mill worldwide, granting anti-abortion groups traction, funding, and legitimacy, and disrupting already scant services and scarce funding to civil society organisations that support the right to abortion care. In 2020, an investigation by the media organisation, Open Democracy, revealed that US right wing funding was behind “pregnancy crisis centres” which claim to provide “advice” to pregnant women but really advocate against termination of pregnancy and the right to abortion care. Moreover, if anti-abortion groups increase or expand, sexual and reproductive health and rights networks will have to redirect their energy towards stopping harmful reproductive coercion against women’s or couples’ will instead of focusing efforts on holding their governments accountable to expanding access and implement existing abortion legislation efficiently. While lawmakers have made progress in parts of the world, they have walked back on the advances made in others. They deny the science and play politics with women’s bodily integrity challenging well-grounded evidence that banning abortion does not lead to fewer women seeking or opting for abortions; and regrettably forcing women who want to safely end a pregnancy to turn to dangerous alternatives. They also oblige healthcare providers to choose between saving a woman’s life and facing criminal charges and jail time. As evidence demonstrates, there is no such thing as prohibiting abortion. There is only banning safe abortion.  Fundamental reproductive rights are under attack by anti-gender and anti-rights extremists, guised in lawmakers’ cloaks. We know from our experience of working on ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in Kenya and in the rest of the world, that anti- rights and anti-gender opposition groups have fought long and hard to control women’s bodies and deny them their reproductive rights. Nelly Munyasia- Executive Director Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK). “As a service providing organisation, we have faced numerous challenges including provider arrest, harassment and extortion by the police. We have witnessed the opposition targeting and threatening our providers including protesting in front of their clinics and launching hateful online petitions. This development in the US is moving us backwards and taking away women’s rights, reducing their ability to achieve their full potential in society. It will also have economic implications for decades to come. This equally puts health care providers at risk of violence and abuse by the opposition, and harassment by the police.” Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Africa Regional Director, International Planned Parenthood Federation of whom RHNK is a collaborative partner added:  "Access to abortion care is a human right, essential to guarantee the health and reproductive rights of women and girls everywhere. At IPPF, we are committed to reducing the number of deaths of women and girls who are forced to turn to unsafe abortion methods for fear of arrests and harassment. In partnership with our Collaborative Partner, RHNK and other powerful voices in the region and beyond, we will continue to supply and support safe and legal abortion services and care for women and girls everywhere, challenge regressive laws and protect the rights of women and girls to have autonomy over their own bodies, including to safely end a pregnancy if they so wish." Now more than ever, we must take a stand against this erosion of a woman’s fundamental right to her own bodily autonomy. Working in silos is no longer an option. As a global SRHR ecosystem, we must come together, protect past hard-fought wins, mobilise, and strategize to protect women and girls’ rights, including their right to abortion care. **END*** Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry is the Africa Regional Director at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Born in Guadeloupe, she has over 30 years of international human rights experience and leads her team to advocate, promote, and deliver sexual and reproductive health and rights in 42 sub-Saharan countries. Her leadership helps ensure that IPPF Africa Region, through locally owned organizations, protects and safeguards the rights of the most vulnerable in society. Nelly Munyasia is the Executive Director at Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) a network of trained and committed providers ensuring access to quality and comprehensive SRHR. She is a trained nurse-midwife and a health systems expert. Nelly is an award-winning global citizen committed to championing and advocating for quality sexual and reproductive health for women, girls and young people.

March 26, 2022 (MALINDI) – In a landmark verdict today, the High Court of Malindi has ruled that safe abortion care is a fundamental right under the Constitution of Kenya and that arbitrary arrests and prosecution of patients and healthcare providers, for seeking or offering such services, is completely illegal. Specifically, the Court ruled that:  Abortion care is a fundamental right under the Constitution of Kenya and that arbitrary arrests and prosecution of patients and healthcare providers seeking or offering such services is illegal. Protecting access to abortion impacts vital Constitutional values, including dignity, autonomy, equality, and bodily integrity. Criminalizing abortion under Penal Code without Constitutional statutory framework is an impairment to the enjoyment of women’s reproductive right For years, women and girls in Kenya have faced sustained and pervasive discrimination hampering their access to seeking reproductive healthcare services; the 1963 Penal Code criminalizes all abortion care, including those allowed under the Constitution 2010, which guarantees the right to healthcare, including access to reproductive health services. The Constitution only permits safe abortion if in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is at risk/in danger. The court case in question, filed in November 2020, involved PAK, a minor 16 years of age from Kilifi County. PAK experienced complications during pregnancy and immediately sought medical care at a nearby clinic where a trained clinical officer attended to her. Upon examining her, the clinical officer determined that she had lost the pregnancy and proceeded to provide her with essential and life-saving post-abortion care. Policy officers stormed the clinic, in the midst of the treatment, stopping the medical procedure and confiscating PAK’s treatment records. They then proceeded to illegally arrest both PAK and the clinical officer. Both were taken to Ganze Police Patrol Base where PAK was not allowed to access further medical care for the next two days and was forced to sign a statement which was contrary to PAK’s description of the events. The police also forced PAK to undergo another detailed medical examination at Kilifi County Hospital to obtain evidence to prove the alleged offence of abortion. The clinical officer was detained for one week while PAK was remanded to a juvenile remand for more than a month, whilst she and her family sought to secure the cash bail for her release. The Malindi High Court has further directed the Parliament to enact an abortion law and public policy framework that aligns with the Kenyan Constitution. Additionally, the Court has confirmed that communication between a patient and the healthcare provider is confidential, which is guaranteed and protected under the Constitution and other enabling laws, save for where the disclosure is consented to by the patient or is in the public interest in line with the limitations as provided for in the Constitution. In its decision, the Court also ruled that PAK was recovering from medical procedure and police did not have the medical qualifications to determine and confirm that she was medically-fit to leave the clinic, regardless of her admission status at the clinic. Additionally, the Court found that PAK’s arrest was inhuman and degrading, and being a minor, she ought not to have been interrogated without legal representation. Evelyne Opondo, Senior Regional Director for Africa at Center for Reproductive Rights said, “Today’s victory is for all women, girls, and healthcare providers who have been treated as criminals for seeking and providing abortion care. The court has vindicated our position by affirming that forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term or to seek out an unsafe abortion is a gross violation of her rights to privacy and bodily autonomy. Further, the continued restrictive abortion laws inhibit quality improvement possible to protect women with unintended pregnancies.” Nelly Munyasia, Executive Director of Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK), a network of reproductive health providers whose member was the second petitioner in this case, welcomed the court’s decision. “Many qualified reproductive healthcare practitioners continue to be arrested, detained, and prosecuted for providing legal medical care. The court’s decision confirms that prosecution against health providers cannot hold where the prosecution has not established that; the health professional in question was unqualified to conduct the procedure; the life or health of the woman was not in danger or the woman was not in need of emergency treatment,” Ms. Munyasia said. Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Regional Director from the International Planned Parenthood Federation of whom Reproductive Health Rights Network Kenya is a collaborative partner added: “We are absolutely delighted to hear this news and applaud the High Court of Malindi's ruling confirming that abortion care is a fundamental right under the Constitution of Kenya and that arbitrary arrests and prosecution of patients and healthcare providers for seeking or offering such services is illegal. We are also very pleased to hear that the Court has directed Parliament to enact an abortion law and public policy framework that aligns with the Constitution. This is a victory for women and girls not only in Kenya, but across Africa! Access to quality abortion is essential to guarantee the health and reproductive rights of women and girls everywhere. At IPPF, we are committed to reducing the number of deaths of women and girls who are forced to turn to unsafe abortion methods for fear of arrests and harassment. We will continue to supply and support safe and legal abortion services and care for women and girls everywhere.” The petitioners were represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights advocates Martin Onyango, Head of Legal Strategies for Africa, and Prudence Mutiso, Legal Advisor for Africa. Center fact sheet: “The Impact of the Misalignment Between Kenya’s Constitution and the Penal Code on Access to Reproductive Health Care”

The Youth Internship Program provides a framework for youth to benefit hands-on experience, mentoring and coaching to strengthen and develop technical, professional and advocacy skills. Budget:  300,000 USD Donor: Packard Timeline: 2 Years ( August 2020 – July 2022 ) Project location: Africa Regional Office Key achievements to date: 5 young people were recruited (2 Females & 2 Males) Participation in training & intern. events Participation in projects and initiatives Skills developed Mentoring and coaching from staff & Supervisors Innovative approaches: 2 totally youth-led projects  

The Japan Trust Fund (JTF) represents a visionary partnership that began in 2000 between the Government of Japan and IPPF. Together, we invest in programmes that prioritize health equity, gender equality, and human security for all. Traditionally a driving force behind IPPF's efforts to support the integrated HIV prevention programmes of our Member Associations in Africa and Asia, JTF has adjusted to reflect changing global health priorities. We attach importance to universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights - an essential contributor to universal health coverage and the global development goals.     These projects have transformed the lives of people most vulnerable to HIV and high risk of maternal and child mortality. Equally, it ensures that as a donor, the GOJ’s response to HIV remains people-centred and contributes to human security.      

The SPRINT Initiative provides one of the most important aspects of humanitarian assistance that is often forgotten when disaster and conflicts strike: access to essential life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. We build capacity of humanitarian workers to deliver essential life-saving sexual and reproductive health services in crisis and post-crisis situations through the delivery of the Minimum Initial Service Package (SRH) for reproductive health in emergencies.   Through funding from the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) our SPRINT Initiative has brought sexual and reproductive health to the humanitarian agenda, increased capacity and responded to a number of humanitarian emergencies. Australia has funded the SPRINT initiative since 2007 and has supported reaching 1,138,175 people to date and continues to respond to ongoing emergencies.   In each priority country, we work with an IPPF Member Association to coordinate and implement SPRINT activities. Through these partnerships, SPRINT helps strengthen the enabling environment, improve national capacity and provide lifesaving services during times of crisis.   You can read more about the SPRINT Initiative and IPPF Humanitarian’s Programme here.   Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)      Australia's location in the Indo-Pacific provides us with a unique perspective on humanitarian action. Australia is committed to helping partner governments manage crisis response themselves. This is done through building the capacity of the national government and civil society to be able to respond to disaster. DFAT also works with experienced international partners to prepare for and respond to disasters, including other donors, United Nations agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-government organisations.