Our goal under Big Ideas is to create an enabling environment for women and young girls to seek ways in which they can access reproductive health information on medical abortion and avert unsafe abortions in our community. That is why we say the project is about ”getting empowered to make your own reproductive health choice “
About
Growing incidences of mis-timed and unintended pregnancies has contributed to rising cases of unsafe abortions in Kenya. While Ministry of health identifies unsafe abortion as a leading contributor to maternal deaths, access to safe abortion services remains a promising intervention in averting the unnecessary maternal deaths caused by unsafe abortion. Big Ideas overall objective is to improve knowledge and access to medical abortion (MA) self-use through increased information on sexual and reproductive health. This project is also being implemented in South America, India and Nigeria. In Kenya, Ipas African Alliance is partnering with pharmacists and community mobilisers in Kajiado and Nairobi county to educate providers and community members on barriers and challenges of unsafe abortion.
Project Area
Kajiado and Nairobi county
Our project team is working with women, girls and pharmacists in the community to mitigate on unsafe abortion, together we are developing interventions that will help women of reproductive health to access medical abortion services, access reproductive health information, family planning services including counselling on contraceptive use.
What is Medical Abortion
Medical abortion involves taking pills to end a pregnancy. The effects of abortion pills result in a process like a miscarriage. Abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) are a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The term “medication abortion” refers to the use of either the combination of mifepristone plus misoprostol or misoprostol taken alone to end a pregnancy. Medication abortion works better, is quicker and has less risk of complications when done earlier in pregnancy, so women who decide to have an abortion should do so as early as possible.
Depending on the setting and context, a woman can have a medication abortion in a health facility, at home (or another private place where she feels secure and comfortable), or in a combination of the two. Women can have a successful abortion if they have accurate information, access to quality medications, and know the signs of complications for which they should seek immediate medical care.
