Global Reach

Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire is located on the coast of western Africa. It is one of the largest economies in West Africa. Nearly two-fifths of the 26.3 million people living in Côte d’Ivoire are under the age of 15.

The modern contraceptive prevalence rate for all women ages 15 to 49 is 22.50%. The maternal mortality ratio is 617 deaths per 100,000 live births. Of women ages 15 to 49, 36.2% have experienced physical or sexual violence.

Our Work in Côte d’Ivoire

EngenderHealth has been working in Côte d’Ivoire since 2008. We support the Ministry of Health and local organizations that work to enhance the delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. We work to increase access to the full range of available contraceptive methods (particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives and permanent methods) by enhancing stakeholders’ skills in service delivery, advocacy, communications, and financial management. EngenderHealth advocates for improved access to comprehensive abortion care—with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of women and youth, as well as supporting effective national and regional coordination efforts.

We have integrated gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response into a wide variety of interventions and community activities in Côte d’Ivoire. As GBV has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have found new ways to address this issue. EngenderHealth helped expand GBV awareness and prevention information as part of a public campaign to provide one million masks to Ivorians in need. We also supported a local feminist organization (La Ligue Ivoirienne des Droits des Femmes) to assist 50 GBV survivors with medication, SRH services and counseling, legal consultation, and psychological counseling.

Funded by the United Nations Fund’s FP2020 Rapid Response Mechanism, the Building Local Capacity for Permanent Method Service Delivery in Côte d’Ivoire program aimed to ensure all Ivorians can exercise full, free, and informed SRH choices by expanding access to and improving the range of contraceptive methods available. EngenderHealth worked with the Ministry of Health as well as multilateral, international, and national organizations to train a pool of master trainers to provide long-acting reversible contraception and permanent methods and to adapt training materials on permanent methods.

EngenderHealth, in collaboration with partners, young bloggers, influencers, and youth activists conducted a digital awareness-raising campaign entitled #lesfemmesveulent (#womenwant) through the Raising Girls’ and Women’s Voices for Comprehensive Abortion Care program. Throughout the campaign we used communication tools such as infographics, interviews, surveys, and videos on abortion, comprehensive sexuality education, early and unwanted pregnancy, and youth family planning needs. We amplified trusted voices in the community to ensure that the campaign counteracted misinformation from anti-choice organizations. Through this program more than 200,000 people in Côte d’Ivoire received sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) messaging.

Partnering to Advance SRHR and Eliminate GBV in West and Central Africa builds on the work of our previous program to advance Advocacy on Comprehensive Abortion Care in West Africa, which sought to improve comprehensive abortion care (CAC) in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire. Building on these countries’ commitments to the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), our work aims to build regional support for safe abortion among key stakeholders and to facilitate access to CAC by expanding information about their rights and access to services.

Our Partners in Côte d’Ivoire

APROSAM
Association of Ivorian Midwives (ASFI)
INGOs (PSI, Ipas, Pathfinder, Jhpiego, Médecins du Monde, Care International)
Feminist Organizations (The Ivorian League for Women's Rights, Ecoutez-moi aussi CIV, Stop au Chat Noir, Jeunesse Féminine Active, Actuelles)