Improving access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Ethiopia

The project focuses on under-served regions and groups not yet supported by Canada or other donors. This includes programming in conflict-affected Tigray to respond to high rates of conflict-related sexual violence during the 2021 to 2022 conflict and support for women factory workers women with disabilities and survivors in under-served regions. These include Amhara Benishangul-Gumuz regional states Oromia and Tigray. The project seeks to increase access to safe abortion for women and girls. This includes abortion and post-abortion care and improved agency for their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) decision-making options. Project activities include: (1) protecting and promoting women and girls’ rights to bodily autonomy particularly those especially vulnerable; (2) training civil society organizations to provide community based SRHR services; and (3) providing technical assistance to public health professionals to improve the quality and sustainability of SRHR services and information.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) improved provision of quality gender-responsive contraception abortion and reproductive health services to women and girls; (2) improved social support for women and girls requiring abortion and SRHR services; and (3) increased political support and leadership from the Government of Ethiopia for gender equality and SRHR.