Amid disruption from COVID-19, uncertain donor funding, and cuts to existing support, our courageous providers rose to the challenge and delivered a record year of impact.
At the height of COVID, MSI Lady Pragati Soti Khanal, spent four hours at a police roadblock in Nepal persuading officers that the medical abortion pills she was delivering were an essential health service.
While in Zambia, Emmanuel Kanchela refused to abandon his mission delivering contraception to a remote rural community when lions began circling his car.
Courageous providers like Pragati and Emmanuel symbolise the dedication and resilience of MSI Reproductive Choices’ 9,000-strong workforce. Working across six continents, they face a host of different challenges, but whether advocating for buffer zones to protect clients from anti-choice harassment in the UK or protecting access to life-changing contraception on the frontline of the climate crisis in Senegal, they are united by their desire to make choice a reality in their own communities.
As MSI Zambia’s Head of Operations, Inonge Wina-Chinyama puts it: “If most people had to face lions as part of their job, they would resign, but our teams know how important these services are for women. It’s not just a job, it’s saving a life.”
This spirit is apparent in the remarkable impact MSI achieved in 2021. Last year, thanks to the determination of team members like Pragati and Emmanuel, as well strong partnerships with governments, donors and local communities, we supported 19.4 million people. This includes providing 17.3 million clients with contraception, abortion and post-abortion care services – that’s 67,000 clients every day. We estimate these services prevented more than 14.1 million unintended pregnancies and 6.6 million unsafe abortions, saving the lives of 39,500 women.