Turning Evidence into Action: How EngenderHealth is Expanding Access to Quality Reproductive Healthcare Across Ethiopia

Every Woman Deserves Quality Care 

For a young woman seeking contraception, a mother receiving family planning counseling after childbirth, or an adolescent looking for accurate reproductive health information, access to quality care can shape the course of their lives. 

Across Ethiopia, EngenderHealth is working with the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Bureaus, healthcare providers, and communities to ensure that these services are not only available but also accessible, respectful, and responsive to people’s needs. 

This work is grounded in a simple belief: lasting improvements in reproductive health happen when evidence, innovation, and strong partnerships come together to strengthen health systems and expand access to quality care. 

Turning Evidence into Better Health 

This commitment was strongly reflected during the recent Ethiopian Fiscal Year Annual Reproductive Health, Family Planning, and Adolescent & Youth Health (RH/FP/AYH) Performance Review Meeting held on June 26–27. The national forum brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Bureaus, and development partners to review progress, identify challenges, and chart priorities for the coming year. 

The meeting highlighted encouraging national progress in expanding reproductive health and family planning services. Notable achievements included the introduction and scale-up of the Hormonal Intrauterine Device (Hormonal IUD), expansion of the Smart Start initiative to support healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies among young couples, increased access to adolescent- and youth-friendly health services, and continued efforts to strengthen immediate postpartum family planning. Discussions also emphasized the need to improve data quality, strengthen commodity monitoring systems, expand Immediate Postpartum Family Planning (IPPFP), and scale up other High Impact Practices (HIPs) to accelerate progress. 

These priorities closely mirror EngenderHealth’s approach: using evidence to inform programming, strengthening local capacity, and supporting the integration of proven interventions within Ethiopia’s health system to ensure women and young people have access to high-quality, client-centered reproductive healthcare. 

Partnerships That Deliver Results 

One of the most significant moments of the meeting came during the regional performance presentations. Representatives from Oromia, Amhara, Sidama, Central Ethiopia, South Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, and Somali regions highlighted EngenderHealth’s technical leadership and programmatic support as instrumental in helping them achieve their reproductive health and family planning targets. 

The recognition reflected the organization’s contributions across multiple areas, from introducing new contraceptive technologies and strengthening provider capacity to improving service quality, supporting adolescent and youth health programming, institutionalizing innovative and high-impact practices such as scaling immediate post-partum family planning, post-abortion family planning, and reinforcing health systems through technical assistance and continuous quality improvement. 

EngenderHealth’s recognition from regional health leaders for its contribution to strengthening reproductive health services nationwide underscores the value of long-term partnerships that prioritize country ownership, capacity strengthening, and evidence-informed decision-making. 

Sustaining Progress 

The discussions during the annual review also reinforced that significant work remains ahead. Expanding Immediate Postpartum Family Planning, improving the availability and quality of routine health information, strengthening commodity security, and scaling proven High Impact Practices will be essential to reaching underserved populations and ensuring equitable access to reproductive healthcare across Ethiopia. 

For EngenderHealth, the recognition received from regional health bureau leaders during the national review meeting is both an affirmation and a responsibility. It reflects the trust placed in the organization by government counterparts and partners while reinforcing its commitment to continue delivering high-quality technical assistance, fostering innovation, and generating evidence that improves health outcomes. 

As Ethiopia enters a new fiscal year, EngenderHealth remains committed to working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health and Regional Health Bureaus to transform evidence into action, strengthen health systems, and expand equitable access to quality reproductive, maternal, adolescent, and youth health services—so that every woman, every young person, and every family can make informed choices about their health and future. 

Learn more about EngenderHealth’s work to expand access to quality sexual and reproductive healthcare across Ethiopia.