Multi-country Sexual Reproductive Health and Gender-Based Violence response to COVID-19 – IRC - 2021

January 2021 - The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a defining global health crisis of modern times with over 2 000 000 recorded deaths worldwide. In countries that are already experiencing humanitarian crises and have highly vulnerable populations COVID-19 has placed even more pressure on essential services infrastructure and systems and resulted in adverse effects on the provision of and use of health and protection services by women and girls. Country-level interventions will be implemented through a global program that will allow for a greater overall coherence and visibility of sectoral results achieved. With GAC’s support the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is providing protection and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) support to refugees and vulnerable people in six countries including Chad the Democratic Republic of Congo Ethiopia Nigeria Pakistan and South Sudan. Project activities include: (1) providing COVID-19 safe SRHR services; (2) providing COVID-19 safe sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) case management and services; (3) providing cash grants for especially vulnerable persons; (4) training care providers on women’s empowerment topics; (5) empowering women and girls to contribute to COVID-19 impacted SGBV and SRHR services; (6) increasing the number of women-led organisations implementing SRHR and women’s empowerment programming; and (7) improving overall coherence and visibility of comprehensive results achieved through the global program.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) services during COVID-19; (2) improved sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) protection mitigation and response services during COVID-19; (3) increased participation and agency of women and girls in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.