EngenderHealth Newsletter | December 2025
Advancing Rights and Strengthening Care
Today, on Human Rights Day, we are reminded that every person has the right to health, dignity, and safety. These rights are at the heart of everything we do at EngenderHealth, and this month’s newsletter reflects how they are being realized in communities around the world.
As you read on, you’ll see how survivor-centered care, inclusive reproductive health services, and advocacy for contraceptive access are helping people claim their rights, strengthen their voices, and shape their futures with confidence and hope.
You’ll also hear from one of our donors, Elizabeth Eccher, and learn more about how her donation is supporting our work in Tanzania. As the end of the year draws near, donors are what propel our mission forward and we are grateful.
Global Impact
Financing That Protects Contraceptive Choice
EngenderHealth’s advocacy in Nigeria helped unlock government funding for family planning services, making it possible for more people to access the contraceptive care they deserve. By strengthening accountability and upholding every person’s right to informed choice, this work is expanding access to methods like the hormonal IUD and bringing new hope to communities across the country. See how this approach is driving impact…
Reproductive Rights, Reimagined Through Care
Across Ethiopia, more people are accessing care that affirms their safety, dignity, and reproductive rights. Through our Rights-Based Approach program, providers are delivering trauma-informed services, one-stop centers are supporting survivors of gender-based violence, and hundreds of thousands of women and girls have gained access to contraception and comprehensive abortion care, showing how powerful change can be when systems uphold the rights of every person. Learn how we are shifting what’s possible…
When Health Systems Work for Everyone
In Tanzania, EngenderHealth worked alongside people with disabilities to co-design outreach, strengthen accountability, and shape contraceptive services that reflect what clients genuinely want and need. By centering those who face the greatest barriers, we are helping to build a health system rooted in trust and expanding reproductive choice for everyone. Learn more…
People everywhere are stepping up to advance reproductive health worldwide. Explore more stories of change on our website: Impact Stories.
Spotlight: What I Saw at a Rural Dispensary in Tanzania
“I didn’t expect a small medical outpost to be the highlight of my safari—but it was.”
During a recent trip to Tanzania, long-time supporter Elizabeth Eccher visited a small EngenderHealth-supported dispensary in a Maasai village. She met mothers who had walked miles to vaccinate their children and providers delivering essential, community-driven reproductive healthcare.
She also heard real concerns about funding cuts and the future of lifesaving services. Her story makes clear that protecting access to care is not only urgent but essential to saving lives and shaping the futures of entire communities.
Stay Informed: Latest News and Resources
Lives Saved, Futures Secured: The Global Progress We Cannot Afford to Lose
Decades of progress in maternal health, contraceptive access, and rights-affirming reproductive healthcare have saved countless lives around the world. But new political restrictions threaten to unravel these hard-won gains and put essential care at risk. Learn why this moment matters and stand with us to safeguard reproductive rights…
A Second Chance for Safer Childbirth
Cesarean section is the world’s most common surgery, yet too many women still face preventable risks during childbirth. After the abrupt end of USAID funding halted this promising work, new support through the PRO Initiative is enabling EngenderHealth and Ariadne Labs to bring the Cesarean Safety Checklist to life in India, advancing an innovation that strengthens surgical teamwork, improves safety, and has the potential to transform maternal healthcare worldwide. Discover how this checklist could save lives in India and beyond…
Our Storytelling Campaign Wins Two Global Anthem Awards
We’re pleased to share that EngenderHealth’s Let’s Do Something campaign has been honored with two 2025 Anthem Awards—the Gold Award and the Community Voice Award in the Health: Donor & Volunteer Engagement category. Selected from more than 2,000 submissions across 42 countries, this recognition highlights the power of our global teams’ stories and their work to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights every day. Learn more…
Here are a few resources shaping conversations in global health and rights:
- A powerful reflection on generosity and collective action: MacKenzie Scott explores how everyday acts of care and shared responsibility can strengthen communities and spark meaningful change in “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For.”
- Stories that reclaim the truth about abortion care: MSI’s Abortion Anthology shares personal experiences from people who have had, provided, or supported abortion care, pushing back against stigma and reminding us that abortion is essential healthcare.
- Why centering safety is essential for climate resilience: No Resilience Without Safety shows how preventing and addressing gender-based violence must be at the heart of effective, inclusive, and sustainable climate action.
- Meaningful Youth Engagement in WHO Guideline Development (Webinar): Learn how young people helped shape the 2022 WHO Abortion Care Guideline and why their participation strengthens global health guidance. Register here.
What You Can Do
Here are a few ways to stay engaged and help advance the health and rights highlighted throughout this newsletter:
- Share the work: Follow @EngenderHealth on social media and help amplify the stories and progress that inspire action.
- Shop with purpose: Grab a Let’s Do Something tote or sticker. Every purchase helps expand access to essential care and spreads awareness about reproductive health and rights.
- Invite others in: Forward this newsletter or encourage a friend to sign up and be part of this growing community.
Thank you for taking steps—big and small—that help protect health, dignity, and reproductive rights every day.
Your Support Makes a Difference
You’ve seen throughout this newsletter what becomes possible when rights are upheld and care is centered, and your gift can help make even more of that progress real.
With our $50,000 Board Match in place through December 31, every $1 you give becomes $2 to protect reproductive rights, strengthening the programs and partners advancing health and dignity every day.
Your support turns the hope of Human Rights Day into real progress for women, girls, and communities around the world.
Thank you for being part of this work and this community.
We’d love to hear from you about what you want to see in future newsletters. Contact us at social@engenderhealth.org.
This newsletter was originally shared over email on December 10, 2025.
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