Ipas DRC leading a consortium to improve access to SRHR information and comprehensive abortion care

by Habygaelle Muzie | Apr 24, 2024 | Institutional news

Ipas DRC is pleased to announce the signing of the partnership contract between the Netherlands Embassy to the DRC and a consortium led by Ipas comprising DKT DRC, MSI DRC, Youth Sprint, AFIA MAMA, (AFEAC) Women Lawyer Association, and the Magistrate Association.

This two-year partnership will aim at improving access to information about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC) services in the Kinshasa and Tshopo Provinces. The consortium will also work to strengthen the capacity of the judiciary system to ensure access to SRHR including abortion services, enabling women to exercise their rights to the full extent of the law.

Many factors such as food insecurity, lack of access to education, gender-based violence, and inadequate health infrastructure contributed to the fragility of the health system and affected access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services. That’s why, through this new project, we want to contribute to building a sustainable abortion ecosystem by improving access to evidence-based SRHR information and quality CAC services, which are essential to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the DRC.”

Naomie Kadima

Policy and Business Development Advisor, Ipas

This consortium not only reflects Ipas’ commitment to playing an active role in bringing lasting change and development to the region but also the expertise required to carry out the mission we have been given. In alignment with the Ipas’ goals, the consortium will work to improve the availability and quality of abortion care for women and girls and sustain it through a strengthened health system, including a pharmacist network and telemedicine initiatives, in Kinshasa and Tshopo. Moreover, altogether, we will work to improve and sustain the community social support and local judiciary system’s support for women’s bodily autonomy and access to safe abortion care.

For five years, Ipas DRC has been supporting community partners to raise awareness of the Maputo Protocol and share information about where women can access safe abortion and contraceptive services. Being a key element of its approach, Ipas will collaborate with Youth Sprint – a national coalition created by Ipas and composed of 24 communities and youth-led organizations across the DRC – and AFIA Mama, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and defending women’s rights in the DRC, through the lens of stopping gender violence. These two local organizations will build community social support for women and girls seeking abortion services.

Gender-Based Violence, family planning, and youth networks are essential sources of referrals for safe abortion care. Youth Sprint is pleased to be part of the consortium. We believe that connecting this project to local efforts will benefit women and girls who have been raped or found with a positive pregnancy test from the family planning center.

Benjamin Sabue

Program Manager, Youth Sprint

Ipas DRC and Canada partner for sustainable access to reproductive health care in the Democratic Republic of Congo

by Habygaelle Muzie | Apr 23, 2024 | Institutional news

Access to safe and legal abortion and contraception improves the health of women and girls and represents a fundamental human right. The ability to decide if and when to become pregnant is a symbol of reproductive justice and gender equality.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the publication of the Maputo Protocol in the official gazette will be followed by other milestones, such as the publication of a circular guaranteeing access to abortion care, in line with the Protocol’s indications, and the adherence of the Ministry of Public Health in 2020 to the evolving standards and directives relating to the application of the Protocol’s guidelines. All these actions made DRC the first country in French-speaking Africa to have implemented far-reaching changes promoting wider access to abortion care.

However, despite this progress, the legal framework authorizing safe abortion in the DRC, women and girls are often unable to access the services they need due to health system limitations, harmful social norms, and lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Indeed, stigma and limited access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services expose women to unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion methods. Unwanted pregnancies lead to high drop-out rates from secondary school and university, and limit women’s employability and career advancement.

This is why, in an effort to promote the bodily autonomy of women and girls, Ipas DRC and World Affairs Canada have been working together for the past 5 years to expand access to information on SRHR and to safe abortion care. Covering North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut Katanga, Tanganyika and Kinshasa, this project aims to improve women’s ability to make safe reproductive choices that support their educational and professional goals, thus contributing to greater gender equality in the DRC.

People received sexual and reproductive health services

People took part in awareness raising activities on reproductive health issues including the Mapouto Protocol and the existence of safe abortion services and medical care for GBV survivors

Abortion Acces Points Ipas supported through the selection and training of healthcare workers and supply of pharmacies

Towards greater access to safe, woman-centered abortion services

Ipas DRC collaborates with the Ministry of Health, Hygiene, and Prevention to improve access to safe, woman-centered abortion services for women and girls in the DRC. At the heart of this Canadian-funded project is the rehabilitation of health facilities, intending to strengthen the technical capacity of public health centers to integrate abortion services and care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In addition, to improve the quality of care, Ipas RDC is supporting the PNSR in training and supporting healthcare providers in the public and private sectors to offer abortion care.

“The maternity clinic in Kintambo, in collaboration with the local health authorities, is literally saving lives. Healthcare providers told me about a young girl who had been raped and was thinking of having an unsafe abortion until she heard about this clinic. Today, she’s alive, well and studying at university. This is what Canada’s support for the sexual and reproductive health of women and young people in the DRC looks like,” says Anita Vandenbeld, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development for Canada, during her 2024 January visit to the Center of Excellence at the Kintambo Maternity Hospital in the city-province of Kinshasa.

Over the past year, Ipas DRC has also been working with local partners, as well as the PNSR, to provide healthcare for gender-based violence and sexually transmitted infections, comprehensive abortion care and contraceptive services through a mobile clinic in the camp. This integrated approach therefore aims to provide women and girls in IDP camps with sexual and reproductive health care.

With the humanitarian context, many women are raped, which is why the mobile clinic set up by Ipas RDC offers women and girls sexual and reproductive health care, including family planning, safe abortion services and treatment of sexually transmitted infections”, explains Dr. Mike Mpoyi, Program Manager.

Changing social norms on abortion

In the DRC, gender norms disadvantage women in many aspects of their lives, including the expression of their rights, particularly their sexual and reproductive rights, and their right to bodily autonomy; gender inequality, exacerbated by poverty and instability, encourages and normalizes violence against women. Added to this, the stigma surrounding abortion plays a central role in the social, medical and legal marginalization of abortion care, and is at the root of the high number of avoidable deaths and sequelae due to unsafe abortion in the DRC.

Whether in the capital Kinshasa or in the provinces, in order to reduce the stigma surrounding abortion and improve access to safe abortion care, Ipas works not only with the health system but also with the community through community organizations, in particular youth-led and women-led organizations, to strengthen health referral pathways for abortion and SGBV care through the training of community health workers and peer educators.

As Anita Vandenbeld said, “These young people and members of vulnerable groups are such an inspiration! They are doing vital work in communities to increase access to sexual and reproductive health services as part of the Ipas RDC project funded by Canada”.

The Canadian Embassy’s delegation to the DRC not only visited the mobile clinic set up by Ipas and local partners but also took part in educational talks on reducing the stigma surrounding abortion in the Bulengo camp for displaced persons.

Through community dialogues and awareness-raising campaigns run by local organizations in the community, Ipas RDC improves access to reliable information on sexual and reproductive health, fosters open dialogue and raises men’s awareness of their role in promoting the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls. This was also the point of discussion during the visit of the Canadian delegation which met with youth-led organizations in Kinshasa as well as in Goma where they talked about challenges faced by YouthSprint network organizations in furthering their vision of empowering women over their sexual and reproductive health. As Dr. Celestine Buyibuyi, Community Involvement Manager for the Eastern region says, “It is imperative to popularize the Maputo Protocol. One woman in four is raped in the IDP camp, and most of them end up with unwanted pregnancies. Some of them resort to unsafe abortions because they are unaware of their rights and fear rejection by the community”.

Olivia Tran, Cooperation Officer “After taking part in the community dialogues involving men and women, I leave with an image of people who are open to discussion, who exchange ideas with a desire to support women in their decisions. The Congolese population can count on Canada’s unfailing support in providing sexual and reproductive health care services.”

Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health to Accelerate the Gender Equity Agenda

by Habygaelle Muzie | Mar 10, 2024 | Analysis and descryptions

The development of a nation is inextricably linked to its investment in the rights, education, and health of young girls and women. On Friday, March 8, 2024, the world celebrated International Women’s Rights Day under the theme “’Invest in women: Accelerate progress.”, urging all nations to not only acknowledge its achievements, but ring the alarm on targeted actions needed to tackle violence against women, poverty, lack of access to education, inadequate healthcare, and gender inequities that impede women from attaining their full rights; dimming their future.

Over the last five years, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has taken bold strides to catalyze the socio-economic empowerment of girls and young women. In 2019, the government launched its “Free Public Primary Education” initiative, showing its strong commitment to breaking down financial barriers that have kept young girls outside the school system, and out of sight for decades. Although this initiative has bolstered primary school enrollment for young girls, a major obstacle persists ahead: how do we ensure that young girls remain in school?

In the DRC, the number of girls enrolled in primary school takes a plunge as they transition into secondary school, compared to boys. The most frequent contributing factors to this decline are child marriage, unintended pregnancies among teenagers, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), and incest among many others. The root cause of these factors can be explained by persistent harmful social norms that reign within communities, taboos related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), increased violence against women, lack of access to accurate SRH information and services, and the scarceness of youth-friendly health services adapted to youth needs. To reinforce the government’s investment in the future of girls and young women – often seized by these factors – Ipas DRC brings a unique contribution to this cause.

Ipas works to ensure that young girls and women have the knowledge and can exercise their rights to make autonomous decisions on their sexual and reproductive health, in an environment where they are supported and can access services adapted to their needs. In collaboration with youth-led organizations nationwide, Ipas has reached over 1 million youth with accurate and reliable information on SRHR, breaking the silence on SRHR, including abortion rights, through dialogues, advocacy initiatives, and outreach campaigns. Coupled with sensitization activities, Ipas has trained over 100 intermediaries who are trusted community youth leaders serving as a bridge between the community and the health system by leading the community referral pathway. Between, 2019 and 2023, Ipas-supported sites have provided over 5741 abortion services to adolescents, representing 23% of total clients. The client referral pathway showcases that the community remains a pivotal source of information and referrals to Ipas-supported centers, highlighting the need to continue expanding our collaboration with youth-led organizations to advance SRHR and adequately support the SRH needs of Congolese girls inside and outside of schools.

Currently, Ipas partners with over 25 local youth-led organizations through its grant-making strategy providing strategic programmatic and operational support. One of the innovative programs implemented by our local partners is the Positive Masculinity Gender Responsive program, which works to engage men to support women’s bodily autonomy and act as changemakers through local networks of Men Engaged.

As we will reflect on Women’s rights all through March, Ipas pledges to invest in the sexual and reproductive health of young Congolese women and girls as a pathway to accelerate progress in gender equity, socio-economic development, and health.”

20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocole

by Habygaelle Muzie | Dec 12, 2023 | Activities & Events

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol: Shifting the trajectory of Women’s rights in the DRC

The Maputo Protocol is a groundbreaking legal instrument, developed, signed, and adopted by African states to protect and promote the rights of African women, making it one of a kind. 20 years since its adoption in Maputo, Mozambique the domestication of the Maputo Protocol in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been remarkable, from its publication in the National Gazette in 2018 to the development of Comprehensive Abortion Care Standards and Guidelines among many others, the progress achieved thus far merited a celebration and gives hope for the future of Congolese women.

On July 11th, 2023, endorsed by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, the Ministry of Gender held a landmark celebration for the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol. This celebration united key stakeholders such as the Minister of Human Rights, Minister of Youth, representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Presidents Director of Cabinet, the Permanent Secretary of the Superior Judiciary Council, parliamentarians, the Canadian Ambassador and representatives of diplomatic corps (Sweden, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, and the UK), police and military corps, international organizations, gender-responsive media, researchers, legal actors, youth, women, civil society-organizations, and community leaders. The objective of this event was to celebrate and acknowledge the countries ownership of the instrument and the progress made over the last 20 years in domesticating the Maputo Protocol, highlight the innovative work and contributions of champions, and to reflect on the future and dialogue about scalable solutions with sustainable outcomes that bolster women’s rights in the country and beyond. “The strong mobilization of the government as well as the presidency for this celebration is outstanding; these leaders co-led panels and boldly spoke about the government’s responsibility in creating an enabling environment for women’s rights including abortion rights” stated Gisele Kapinga, High Commissioner at the National Commission for Human Rights.

Ministers, Director of Cabinet of the President, Partners and Donors. This celebration was marked by strong declarations from the government, parliamentarians, civil society leaders, and leading women’s rights activists.

“Women in our country are victims of great injustices since birth, the Maputo protocol enables us to tackle these inequalities and build sustainable solutions to repair these historical injustices” says H.E. Fabrice Mpuela, Minister of Human Rights as he co-led the opening panel with the Minister of Youth, DRC President’s Director of Cabinet, and Ipas DRC’s Country Director.

“The fact that women are denied access to safe abortion, does not mean that they will not have an abortion; what it means is that they will do it but in an unsafe way, risking their lives” stated Member of Parliament and President of the Permanent Commission on Gender, Honorable Christelle Vuanga who called for all stakeholders including those in the health system and the judiciary system to create a bridge and work together to ensure that women have access to a safe choice without fear of imprisonment.

The research on the impact of the domestication of the Maputo Protocol conducted by the University of Kinshasa School of Public Health in collaboration with Ipas and the Ministry of health presented during this event highlighted the challenges in its application on the field, especially within the judicial and health system.

During his keynote address, H.E. Benoît-Pierre Laramée, Ambassador of Canada to the Democratic Republic of Congo, stated the following “I am convinced that the full implementation of this protocol will strengthen the bodily autonomy of women and girls in the DRC, improve their well-being and their socio-economic empowerment.”

This message was strongly backed by the Permanent Secretary of the Superior Judiciary Council, who emphasized that the judiciary system has taken all measures to ensure that women have access to all the provisions of the Maputo Protocol including safe abortion care.

Reflecting on the next steps with civil society organizations such as the Youth Sprint Movement, Women Lawyers Association, and partners (DKT, MSI, and Ipas) on what the next 20 years hold for the future of Congolese women and girls; these activists called for all stakeholders and donors to accelerate the full implementation of the Maputo Protocol by revising the penal code and all other laws that hinder women’s rights. The fervent engagement of diverse stakeholders supporting the implementation of the Maputo Protocol and safe abortion rights in the DRC, gives Ipas and partners leading the fight renewed hope and fuel to making the promises of the Maputo Protocol a reality for women and girls across the DRC.

H.E. Antoinette Kipulu, Minister of Vocational Training and Trades during her opening speec

Ipas Democratic Republic of Congo: At the forefront of the fight against gender-based violence

by Habygaelle Muzie | Dec 4, 2023 | Activities & Events

No matter the cause, humanitarian crises often mean an increase in sexual and reproductive health needs—yet access to safe abortion remains one of the most forgotten of those needs. Ipas Democratic Republic of Congo is making sure that access to abortion is included in humanitarian aid response to the devastating armed conflict in North Kivu.

North Kivu is in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an area marked by extremely violent conflict. Despite all diplomatic efforts, clashes between Congolese troops and an armed rebel group have displaced thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes to take refuge in makeshift camps. This instability has led to the complete collapse of the health system and contributed to a precarious health situation—with women, girls and children being the most affected.

Humanitarian response efforts to the region struggle to meet many vital necessities, made more difficult by insufficient resources and a complex logistical and security context. This often leads to the neglect of other basic needs, including sexual and reproductive health. To address this gap, Ipas DRC took an integrated approach to provide sexual and reproductive health care to displaced women and girls sheltering at the Bulengo camp. With local partners and the support of the National Reproductive Health Program of DRC, Ipas set up a one-stop center in the camp to provide medical management of gender-based sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections, comprehensive abortion care and contraception services for a full month in 2023.

Sexual and reproductive health care was provided in the mobile clinic set up in the camp, where around 100 people were treated every day.

People received sexual and reproductive health services

People were treated for urogenital infections

People received family planning information

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People served were women

People received comprehensive abortion care

Survivors of sexual violence treated for physical and emotional trauma

Local community: Listening, helping and supporting

Beyond medical services, the reality on the ground is that young girls and women need to feel safe and ready to talk—to people who are willing to listen and help them.

The cornerstone of Ipas DRC’s outreach strategy was to pair the Ipas-trained Masujaa members (an outreach network trained by Ipas in sexual and reproductive health and rights awareness) with community relay volunteers from local health centers who provide health education to the community.

For almost a month, one sector of the camp at a time, the Masujaa and community relay members held a series of awareness-raising community talks, creating unforgettable moments of learning and discussion about sexual and reproductive health rights and comprehensive, safe, women-centered abortion care.

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The Masujaa and community relay collaboration succeeded in breaking down barriers to safe abortion services for girls and women in the camp, as well as raising awareness of the Maputo Protocol, a pan-African treaty ratified in the DRC which expressly recognizes abortion as a human right in specific circumstances, including cases of sexual assault, rape and incest.

“As Masujaa, we’re not just here to provide information on sexual and reproductive health rights,” says Patient Rwamigabo of the Masujaa Network. “We’re here to listen to these women and girls who were silenced and had no one who could understand them.”

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Health professionals: A support for women’s care

Ipas has set up a community hospital referral network for the camp’s inhabitants to raise their awareness and put them in touch with services. When psychological support is needed for victims of sexual abuse and violence and those suffering trauma from the precarious living conditions in the camp, the referral network can connect them to trusted resources such as the Doctors Without Borders clinic, whose package of care for survivors of gender-based violence includes additional resources for those in need.

One month’s campaign has shown that access to safe abortion services is essential for internally displaced people, and in the case of large-scale displacement, safe abortion care must be available to avoid unnecessary death and injury from abortion with unsafe methods. For women to enjoy their sexual and reproductive health rights and make informed decisions, the role of the community is essential.

The fight against gender-based violence requires the commitment of all stakeholders. The needs are huge and the responses few. That’s why Ipas DRC will continue to work with the National Reproductive Health Program of DRC and local stakeholders to meet the sexual and reproductive health and safe abortion needs of women and girls—undeterred by the context of armed conflict.

Ipas DRC

Ipas DRC leading a consortium to improve access to SRHR information and comprehensive abortion care

Ipas DRC leading a consortium to improve access to SRHR information and comprehensive abortion care