Advocating for SRHR in the time of COVID-19: WGNRR 2020 Annual Report

download the full report HERE

Message from WGNRR Team

2020 has been a very challenging year for all of us. We found ourselves facing a public health crisis that directly impacts people’s health, economic stability, and lives. The COVID-19 pandemic brings about unprecedented challenges that threaten a decline in the developmental gains of many countries, including advances made in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), where progress was never easy, to begin with.

As an SRHR activist organization, we continued our work despite the limitations and restrictions caused by COVID-19. We collaborated with other SRHR activists, feminists, and allies globally to creatively and to continue our work and to respond to the crisis. We highlighted that a  rights-based, just, and sustainable approach to the COVID-19 pandemic was critical. We captured stories and experiences of women and girls who were placed in precarious, even fatal situations. We called on governments to ensure that SRHR information and services remain essential as resources and priorities were reallocated to respond to the pandemic.

Even before COVID-19, women, and girls were already dealing with multiple barriers in accessing SRHR information and services. The public health crisis exacerbates the barriers of women and girls living in intersecting vulnerabilities, particularly those in contexts with fragile economic and health systems. 

Faced with the challenges caused by the pandemic, we had to quickly adjust or run the risk of losing the momentum gained over the previous years. And so we did not stop because of the pandemic; we only got more creative in what we had to do. We utilized new tools and maximized online spaces to conduct our activities, and in areas where we were able to conduct offline activities, precautionary measures were practiced. We also implemented a COVID mitigation plan that includes measures to ensure that all staff members are supported during the pandemic.

The pandemic made it impossible in most areas to conduct face-to-face activities hence, we went online! Through our online work, we have seen an increase in the number of young people supporting our campaigns and capacity building activities. We utilized online meeting platforms for activities such as meetings, briefings, and consultations. We sustained our visibility through our social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter. However, shifting to online activities left out those who have no access to the internet and mobile technology. To counter this limitation, we supported our partners and members with communications stipend to ensure that they can participate in the online discussions and webinars.

We sustained our work at the Coordination Office in Manila, Philippines and at Dar Es Salaam regional office in Tanzania. We also sustained our satellite office in Nairobi, Kenya. Manila experienced hard lockdowns and restricted mobility, and thus, the shift to online work. The Dar Es Salaam Office was still able to continue implementing face-to-face activities but practiced extra precautionary measures. We continued connecting grassroots voices to national and regional advocacy and campaigning efforts and championing the rights-based approach on SRHR. 

We continue to enhance our collaboration with other networks and alliances. We became a member of the Advisory Committee of Safe Abortion Advocacy Initiative- A Global South Engagement (SAIGE), a platform for Global South advocates and activists. We closely work with the September 28 International Safe Abortion Day working group together with ARROW, International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion, Ipas Alliance Kenya, ASAP, and Clacai. We also continued hosting Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition.

Another year has passed with satisfying achievements involving our partners, allies, and members. We are grateful for all the support that our members, partners, donors, and allies have provided. We thank our partners, members, partner communities and women and girls for being the reason, inspiration, and motivation for the work that we do.

The WGNRR Team