Coordinating a response after cyclones and flooding

Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia

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As climate change strikes again in Southern Africa, Ipas responds to reproductive health needs

When tropical cyclones Ana and Batsirai killed nearly 100 people and left almost a million displaced or in need of humanitarian assistance in early 2022, Ipas teams in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia worked quickly to ensure that reproductive health care was available to women and girls affected by the storm, particularly in the many emergency camps across the region.

Ipas teams delivered:

support to mobile health clinics
reproductive health supplies and equipment
delivery and dignity kits
shelter support for health providers

Women and girls are often on the frontlines of helping their families and communities survive major climate events. In the aftermath of cyclone Ana in Malawi, one woman told the Guardian: “The water just came abruptly and I managed to grab my children and run. I’m not sure what remains in the house, as it’s submerged. There is fertilizer, poultry, cash for farming and everything.”

The donation was essential because sexual and reproductive health is usually not prioritized in a crisis response,” says Pansi Katenga, Ipas’s global development director. “I am happy that that Ipas was in a position to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and girls living in the humanitarian camps.”

“Our focus is on sexual and reproductive health in these camps because we know that women in the camps still need the services. And we also know the health system at the moment has been a bit disrupted.”

Clement Kolove, Ipas Malawi country representative

Every crisis is different. Our varied solutions recognize that.

Through a variety of different programs and approaches, we’re proving that reproductive health care can be made accessible during an acute crisis and in the years that follow.