The Choice Emergency Fund
The dismantling of US international aid has already had a profound impact on women’s reproductive health around the world.
Through our Choice Emergency Fund, we are seeking to replace the $14 million of USAID funding that MSI has lost, so we can protect reproductive health services for women and girls who rely on us.
With $14m of funding, we would have been able to reach 2.6 million women with high-quality sexual and reproductive health services. Denied this lifeline, women will no longer be able to avoid or safely space their pregnancies. Girls will be unable to finish school, as they face unplanned pregnancy, and families will be pushed further into cycles of poverty. Some will be left with no option but to risk their lives by resorting to unsafe abortion.
Join us with a gift to the
CHOICE EMERGENCY FUND
Your gift will be used to keep our frontline healthcare teams going, so they can deliver life-changing services to clients with no other access.
We are also seeking to raise an additional $6 million to address the increased demand for services that we’re seeing across many of our programmes, due to the chaos caused by the USAID cuts.
Ethiopia
In recent decades, Ethiopia has seen huge advancements in sexual and reproductive health and rights, but cuts to USAID now put this progress at risk.
With US funding, public sector providers were trained to offer quality care, but following cuts to US funding, the Ministry of Health has stopped all activities and thousands of trained public health staff have been laid off.
Private funding is urgently needed to maintain women’s access to quality healthcare. This includes via MSI Ethiopia’s teams that provide essential healthcare in the conflict-affected regions of Tigray, Afar, Amhara and Oromia, but now face significant cuts.
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, roughly half of MSI’s contraceptive programmes were funded by USAID, as MSI received around $6.5 million to deliver services to women in remote communities with little or no prior access to contraception. The programme had a particular focus on supporting young people and people with disabilities, who face the greatest barriers to healthcare.
All US funding for MSI in Zimbabwe has now been cut and if additional support is not secured by September, 1.3 million women will lose access to healthcare, leading to more than 460,000 unintended pregnancies and 1,400 maternal deaths.
Zambia
The impact of USAID funding cuts is already visible in Zambia, where $4M in funding for contraceptive supplies like IUDs, implants and pills has been slashed.
Extensive contraceptive stock-outs are anticipated, which would block access to contraception and deny women the power to space or prevent pregnancies.
Gifts to the Choice Emergency Fund will support the MSI Zambia team to purchase supplies directly and ensure continued access for women who have few, if any, other options for contraception.
Uganda
In Uganda, there is a sense of panic, with myths circulating that contraception has been banned.
Some women are racing to get their implants removed early because they believe contraception is illegal and they do not want to break the law.
In some cases, they are being charged extortionate rates by unscrupulous providers.
Gifts to the Choice Emergency Fund will help replace the $2M of USAID funding that has been cut in Uganda, so that MSI teams can continue to provide safe, quality care and accurate information.
Madagascar
In Madagascar, where 75% of the population lives below the poverty line, USAID funded a wide range of NGO, governmental and private sector programmes for healthcare and poverty alleviation.
These programmes are now at risk, with many NGOs pausing essential activities in conservation, health and sanitation.
MSI Madagascar previously received USAID funding for outreach programmes through UNFPA, but these have now been defunded. Your support for the Choice Emergency Fund will help MSI teams to continue to reach communities in need across Madagascar.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
MSI is fiercely holding the line for reproductive health and rights wherever possible, so that even in settings impacted by aid cuts, women and girls can continue to make choices about their bodies, their families, and their futures.
We are able to do this because people like you understand the life-changing impact of access to choice. With resilience, innovation and your support, we will continue to help women take control of their bodies and lives.
We ask you to:
- Give generously. Private funding is crucial to prevent rises in unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and related deaths.
- Get in touch to partner. MSI is seeking new partnerships with trusts, foundations, and major donors to protect health and choices for women and girls.
- Help spread the word. Leverage your networks and advocate for commitments.
“Contraception enables us to let our children grow, giving them adequate love and care. If MSI Zimbabwe weren’t here, we would be suffering.
