EngenderHealth Newsletter | March 2026: Choice That Delivers
Across EngenderHealth’s work, progress starts with people having the information and support they need to make decisions about their health. From contraception to childbirth to care in times of crisis, EngenderHealth and our partners are expanding access and supporting choice at every stage of life.
Choice, Childbirth, and Life-Saving Changes
“We are not just providing services. We are helping women make decisions about their lives.”
At Gelan Health Center in Ethiopia, midwives saw the same pattern again and again. New mothers were returning for their 6-week postpartum checkup already pregnant. Still recovering from childbirth, some were seeking abortion care, while many were asking about contraception to prevent another pregnancy.
With support from EngenderHealth, that pattern is changing. Providers now meet women earlier in pregnancy, giving them time to understand their options and choose a postpartum family planning method before delivery.
Care during childbirth has improved as well. With calibrated drapes and the E-MOTIVE approach, providers can accurately measure blood loss and respond quickly to life-threatening complications like heavy bleeding after birth.
The health center is now better equipped to support women before, during, and after childbirth, helping them recover safely and make informed decisions about their health and timing of future pregnancies.
Across countries and communities, people are gaining the knowledge, care, and support to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. Explore more stories of change.
What does it take to expand access to reproductive healthcare, respond in a crisis, and keep services running every day? Here’s what that looks like in action.
Expanding Choice Where It’s Needed Most
In just five years, more than 3.5 million people have accessed high-quality reproductive health services through EngenderHealth’s Scaling Up Family Planning program in Tanzania. By focusing on reaching those most often left out, including young people and persons with disabilities, more people can access birth control and choose what works for them. Explore how access is expanding…
Childbirth During an Outbreak
When the Marburg outbreak reached southern Ethiopia, women faced an impossible choice: stay home and risk giving birth without care, or seek help and risk exposure. At Jinka Hospital, EngenderHealth-trained providers adapted quickly to keep maternal and newborn services open and safe. See how services continued during the outbreak…
Global Impact, By the Numbers
In the past year, EngenderHealth’s global work helped avert an estimated 1.6 million unintended pregnancies, 430,000 unsafe abortions, and 1,600 maternal deaths. We also expanded access to contraception for more than 1.2 million people, bringing essential services to communities around the world. Read our FY25 Impact Report Summary…
Join Us at Skoll World Forum
EngenderHealth will be in Oxford this April for the Skoll World Forum, and we hope to see you there.
You can find us at Marmalade and throughout the Sidebar conversations, where we’ll be engaging on issues shaping the future of global health and development—from strengthening maternal and newborn health systems to advancing contraceptive care, abortion access, and gender-based violence prevention and response through locally led, integrated approaches.
We’ll also be part of broader discussions on the impact of USAID funding cuts and the risks posed by the growing “fertility panic” narrative—particularly how it can distract from the need to ensure people have access to safe, respectful, high-quality reproductive healthcare.
If you’ll be at Skoll, we would welcome the opportunity to connect. Meet us there or share your plans.
Here are a few resources shaping conversations in global health and rights:
- Who is following through on family planning commitments: FP2030’s scorecard reveals progress, gaps, and where investment is still urgently needed.
- Climate justice depends on reproductive health: A powerful look at why SRHR must be part of climate solutions and what happens when it is not.
- Misinformation is reshaping access to care: Learn how false narratives about pregnancy, contraception, and abortion are influencing decisions and limiting access.
By donating to EngenderHealth, you help us drive impactful, gender-equitable programs that promote health, equality, and rights. Your support enables us to protect sexual and reproductive rights as fundamental human rights, ensuring that everyone has access to the care they deserve.
Other ways to support EngenderHealth:
- Explore our latest impact results: See how EngenderHealth expanded access to reproductive healthcare and supported communities across Africa and Asia. Read and share the full FY25 report.
- Spread the word: Follow @EngenderHealth on social media and help elevate stories and actions that expand reproductive choice across the world.
- Stay connected: Forward this newsletter to a friend or invite them to join our online community.
Thank you for being part of this community. Together, we’re proving that care, courage, and collective action can create lasting change.
We’d love to hear from you about what you want to see in future newsletters. Contact us at social@engenderhealth.org.
This email was originally shared over email on March 26, 2026.
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