The Zambia Prevention of Unsafe Abortions Project
Traditional ceremonies are a critical platform to raise awareness on health issues by engaging communities in a cultural-relevant and meaningful way. This is because traditional ceremonies can be used to […]
Youth advocacy in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) aims to address the systematic barriers faced by young people when seeking reproductive healthcare. In self-managed medical abortion care, youth advocacy […]
Teenage pregnancy is a growing concern in Zambia, with high number of cases reported each year. In January 2024 alone, close to 3000 cases of teenage pregnancy were reported in […]
Pharmacists play a crucial role in the provision of medical abortion services by ensuring that safe and effective medications are available for women and girls seeking abortion services. Forecasting and […]
ZAGO’s focus is to be part of this revolutionary access to safe abortion care being an essential healthcare. For this reason, the project the society is currently implementing encompasses a number of advocacy strategies, including trainings. These activities, which are quarterly based are aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding among target stakeholders.
Our work with the youth is to challenge any barriers or potential barriers to ensure that young people have the autonomy over their reproductive decisions and can access the resources they need without unnecessary obstacles. This involves creating groups, and virtual communities where young people can share their experiences, ask questions, and receive support from trained peers and healthcare professionals.
International federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has featured ZAGO’s Self-managed medical abortion advocacy project in its monthly newsletter of November 2023. The article highlights project implementation achievements for the last six months. Read full article here
The countrywide study, “A Critical Analysis of Abortion Related Deaths in Zambia: A National Survey” conducted by the Zambia Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (ZAGO) with financial support from the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) – show that abortion related deaths have drastically reduced.
Advocacy remains one of the strategic ways to addressing these challenges. Therefore, the need for strengthened advocacy skills amongst SRHR advocates and a creation of a strategy for advocacy is an essential part of the health system.
Eastern Province has continued to register record number of teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions cases. As recent as March 2022, the Province recorded 1,536 unsafe abortion cases, while 12,982 teenage pregnancies were recorded in the first quarter of 2021. According the records, 400 of these teenage pregnancies were girls below the age of 15, while the rest were between 15 and 19 years. Sadly, the Province recorded high number of child marriages: 39 percent of girls are married off either before or at the age of 18. This situation perpetuates a cycle of poverty as young girls are prevented from acquiring requisite education needed to contributing and benefiting from socio-economic development of the country.