Being in charge of your own body is critical to gender equality. This includes choosing if or when you have sex and if or when to become pregnant.
We fight for every woman to have reproductive healthcare so she can take charge of her own body, life and future. Here’s where we start:
Saving women’s lives. Almost 800 women die daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these deaths and injuries are entirely preventable with access to contraception, safe abortion, and quality post-abortion care.
Keeping girls in school. Every year, millions of girls from developing countries miss school when they have their periods or drop out due to teenage pregnancy. Our education programs and youth outreach services make sure teenagers understand how to be in charge of their bodies and their health.
Economic empowerment. Women who use contraception have 40% more family assets than those who cannot plan or space their pregnancies. They have money to spend on their family’s health, education, and wellbeing. When women can choose if or when they fall pregnant, a whole community can prosper.
Providing healthcare. We provide essential healthcare, from first periods through to pregnancy and beyond.
Defending rights. In many places where we work, reproductive healthcare is still stigmatised, restricted or even illegal. Over 22,000 women die from complications from unsafe abortions every year. 97% of these occur in developing countries. We fight to defend everyone’s right to access high-quality care.
95c of every dollar donated goes directly to the field, allowing us to send funds where they are most needed.
And the impact goes even further than that: every dollar spent on family planning services saves over $9 in public sector expenditures, making it one of the most cost-effective interventions to help low- and middle- income countries to meet their development goals.