Ipas and partners hosted the second Green Wave Gathering last week in Mexico City, uniting 150 activists from across the Americas, including from the United States, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and more. Organized by the Women’s Equality Center, Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean, Ipas United States. and the Guttmacher Institute, the two-day event inspired and fortified movements for reproductive justice and abortion rights throughout the region.

Menstrual hygiene and the climate crisis are intricately connected. Our research and programmatic experience have shown that as climate-induced extreme weather events such as droughts and floods increase, managing menstruation becomes even more challenging for women and girls worldwide.

Combatting gender-based violence is a massive challenge in Nigeria, where nearly one of every three women and girls aged 15-49 has experienced physical violence, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. Ipas has developed a crucial partnership with religious leaders that’s helping to change this.

Ipas’s local partner, Onelife Initiative for Human Development, has helped Nigerian college students take control of their sexual and reproductive health through a program called “Campus Wey Sabi,” a title which loosely translates to “campus knows best.” Through measuring student knowledge, training local health-care vendors, and hosting on-campus sessions with students and health providers, the program achieved significant results in just four months.

Dr. Deeb Shrestha Dango, a dedicated OB-GYN and head of health systems and policy for Ipas Nepal, has stood at the forefront of this transformation. Navigating a shifting landscape of abortion rights and stigma, she has fought to expand abortion access in Nepal for over twenty years.

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024