Providing health information and care to Venezuelan migrants

Bolivia

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Upholding migrants’ sexual and reproductive rights in Bolivia

Fleeing hardships and unrest, Venezuelans have been migrating to Bolivia in growing numbers. When they arrive, they face the basic challenges of migrants everywhere—including lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Ipas is addressing this need by supporting health centers to offer free sexual and reproductive health care to undocumented migrants and by training health-care providers in care that is sensitive to the needs of this population.

“Ipas is the first organization in Bolivia working to improve migrants’ access to sexual and reproductive health care, and we’re proud that our work is having a positive impact on their lives,” says Malena Morales, director of Ipas Bolivia.

Migrants struggle to access contraception and face high rates of sexual violence, putting them at higher risk for unintended pregnancy and abortion with unsafe methods. That’s why Ipas also provides migrants with information on sexual and reproductive rights, sexual violence, contraception and self-managed abortion with pills.

Ipas has partnered with health advocates and key institutions since April 2021 on this work.

Through this project we saw that the health facilities that served us were very professional, very sensitive, and spoke to us about our rights. This is our first experience in the area of health care and it has been very good.”

– Estefany Alarcon, Venezuelan beneficiary of services

“Most of the time our bodies are on the streets, but that does not mean that our rights are also on the streets and hence should not be upheld. Having access to reproductive health care makes us believe that our rights are not lost just because we are crossing borders.”

– Nancy Coromoto, Venezuelan beneficiary of services

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.