MSI is made up of almost 9,000 dedicated professionals fighting for and delivering reproductive choice around the world. As part of our 2023 Annual Review, we featured stories from our healthcare providers, clients, and partners on why and how they choose choice.
Mara is a Senior Manager at the philanthropic Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, also known as CIFF. She’s worked closely with MSI since 2021. She shares her thoughts on why funding partnerships are so crucial, and her first-hand experiences of visiting MSI’s frontline programmes.
“I am a proud funder, on behalf of CIFF, of MSI’s global work providing sexual and reproductive healthcare to millions of women and girls.
We partner with MSI because their strategy aligns with our values, and they have a steadfast commitment to deliver for women and girls—including those who are hard to reach. MSI’s approaches to gender equality, reaching youth, and equitable services are very important to us.
When I think of MSI’s work in 2023, my mind transports to the Democratic Republic of Congo where I visited in October. At a rural healthcare site, MSI was providing services and training local health nurses. I met an 18-year-old who shared she was recently widowed soon after her son was born, but she had a huge smile on her face, because she’d just chosen to receive an implant. She was so proud, excitedly telling me that she could have a break, maybe go to school or work before she had more children. For her, and for so many others, having choice can be truly life-changing.
And when I visited an outreach site in Kano, Nigeria, I’ll never forget how there were hundreds of women patiently waiting during Ramadan and on a hot day. They’d started queueing long before we got there, determined to choose a method of contraception, and have agency over their lives. It blew me away. As I spoke with them while they waited, it stood out to me how diverse their experiences were. Some had given birth to 10 or 13 children and shared they were “ready to finish” now; others were adolescents seeking their first contraceptive method because they wanted to wait to have children.
I’ve also spoken to male traditional leaders who saw their religious texts as supportive to contraceptive services. They said things are changing and resources are scarce, so they wanted to support access to contraception for the women in their communities.
All this to say, I’ve seen first-hand how organisations like MSI are doing amazing work. Over the last decade, there’s been inspiring progress to empower women to choose sexual and reproductive healthcare services if they want them.
However, we’re experiencing a global context where both funding and rights are being squeezed. This is a huge challenge and women and girls are feeling the impacts.
The freedom to choose and have control over our own bodies is a universal right which is why we need people and philanthropies who care about this issue to step up to provide access to choice.
So, why do I choose choice and enjoy partnering with MSI? For that girl in DRC who was over the moon with her contraceptive method. For the woman in Nigeria who was absolutely exhausted after having had 12 children, of whom only six survived. And for the 17-year-old girl who can remain in school because she could access a safe medical abortion. These people are my why.
Funding partnerships like ours create huge change at the most local level. Which is the foundation for a better, more equal and joyous world where we can all thrive.”
Reverend Cliff chooses choice
Rev. Cliff shares why religious leaders have a unique power to expand access to choice.
MSI’s 2023 Annual Review
Inspiring stories, hard-hitting numbers, and the power of reproductive choice: read it all in our latest annual review.
Mana Zita chooses choice
Mana Zita leads MSI Timor Leste’s work in gender equality and social inclusion.
