- Our Focus
The Challenge Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
Sexual and reproductive health and rights remain among the most unequally accessed and systematically constrained areas of human development in sub-Saharan Africa. The region accounts for over 70% of global maternal deaths, with an estimated 287,000 women dying each year from preventable pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes. Adolescent girls and young women face especially high risks, with complications from pregnancy and childbirth remaining a leading cause of death among girls aged 15–19.
Access to comprehensive SRHR services is limited by weak health systems, poverty, gender inequality, stigma, and restrictive social norms. Millions of women and girls lack access to modern contraception, leading to high rates of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nearly half of all unsafe abortions globally, contributing significantly to maternal morbidity and mortality. Rural populations, displaced women, and those living in fragile and conflict-affected settings are least likely to access lifesaving care.
Gender inequality and harmful social norms further undermine bodily autonomy and informed decision-making. Practices such as child marriage, FGM, and intimate partner violence restrict girls’ control over their reproductive lives and increase exposure to HIV, early pregnancy, and maternal complications. Survivors of sexual violence often face stigma, fear of retaliation, and limited access to post-rape care, including emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis.
Adolescents and young people encounter significant legal, cultural, and social barriers to accessing SRHR information and services. Youth-friendly services remain scarce, while misinformation and stigma prevent young people from seeking care. Boys and men are often excluded from SRHR programming, perpetuating unequal power dynamics and limiting shared responsibility for reproductive health.
In humanitarian settings, SRHR risks are magnified. Conflict and displacement disrupt health services, increase exposure to sexual violence, and undermine continuity of care for pregnant women and people living with HIV. Without rights-based, inclusive, and system-strengthening interventions, gaps in SRHR access will continue to reinforce cycles of poor health, gender inequality, and poverty across generations.
Our Solution for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
We advance sexual and reproductive health and rights through an integrated, rights-based, and gender-transformative approach that places dignity, choice, and bodily autonomy at the center of development and humanitarian programming. Our work goes beyond service delivery to address the social, legal, and systemic barriers that prevent individuals especially women, girls, and marginalized populations from exercising their rights.
We expand access to comprehensive SRHR information and services through community-based delivery models, mobile outreach, and partnerships with public and private health providers. Our interventions include family planning counseling and referrals, antenatal and postnatal care linkages, HIV and STI prevention and testing, cervical cancer awareness, and post-rape care. Services are delivered in ways that are confidential, culturally appropriate, and responsive to the needs of adolescents, persons with disabilities, and displaced populations.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is a cornerstone of our approach. We deliver age-appropriate, evidence-based CSE in schools and community settings, equipping adolescents and young people with knowledge on consent, contraception, healthy relationships, and gender equality. Peer educators and youth leaders play a central role in facilitating dialogue, reducing stigma, and extending reach.
HopeChild, Inc. integrates SRHR with GBV prevention and response, ensuring survivors of sexual violence can access timely medical care, psychosocial support, and legal referrals. We strengthen referral pathways between health facilities, protection actors, and justice systems to ensure continuity of care and accountability.
We actively engage men and boys to promote positive masculinity, shared responsibility for reproductive health, and support for women’s autonomy. Community dialogues with parents, elders, and religious leaders address harmful norms while fostering local ownership and sustainability.
Systems strengthening is central to our SRHR work. We build the capacity of frontline health workers to deliver youth-friendly, rights-based care and support community health structures to improve outreach, data collection, and accountability. We support grievance redress mechanisms and community feedback systems, ensuring services are responsive and respectful.
In humanitarian and fragile contexts, HopeChild, Inc. aligns its interventions with the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for reproductive health, ensuring continuity of care during crises. By integrating SRHR with education, livelihoods, social protection, and humanitarian response, we enable individuals and communities to exercise their rights, improve health outcomes, and break intergenerational cycles of inequality.
2030 Reach Target
150,000 women, girls, and young people reached with integrated SRHR information, services, and rights-based support by 2030.
