5 good things that happened in 2020

What a year it’s been. One year ago, we were waving goodbye to 2019 and looking towards 2020 with anticipation. But this year has turned out to be very different than any of us expected.  

When Covid-19 brought the world to a halt at the beginning of the year, none of us knew the impact the pandemic would have, and even now it’s still not clear just how much the virus has changed the world and the way we live, work and interact. But with vaccines more clearly on the horizon, our communal hope for some return to normality is growing.  

We understand that at this point, you might be ready to say good riddance to 2020 – but before we do, it’s worth acknowledging that even in this difficult year there have been incredible moments of progress. 

Despite the challenges facing both providers and clients throughout the year, there have also been stories of resilience and adaptation. Times when rapid innovation, dedication and determination have been crucial. At MSI Reproductive Choices, we have seen our providers, along with others in the public and private sector, work tirelessly to adapt and innovate so that services can stay open, safely. 

Today we want to share some of our favourite stories of resilience with you. We hope they inspire you as much as they inspired us: 

1. Despite lockdowns and increased travel restrictions, our teams have found new ways to reach clients, from mobile clinics in Madagascar that enabled women to receive services in their own homes, to teams in Uganda delivering contraception with the help of ride-hailing mobile apps. 
2. Our trained healthcare providers around the world have pushed boundaries to reach more women with sexual and reproductive health care. In Nigeria, this commitment meant that our team members travelled to areas unsettled by conflict to make sure women could still access contraception.  
3. In Myanmar at the peak of the lockdown, public facilities were forced to close, and many women were at risk of being left behind, but MSI Ladies stepped in to fill the gap and make sure women could still receive contraceptive counselling and services.  
4. Working with partners, our teams in Senegal and Sierra Leone developed new tools to make reproductive healthcare more inclusive. 
5. In the UK and South Africa, our teams quickly adopted new digital solutions when lockdowns hit that enabled our clients to continue to access reproductive care – benefits that we hope will reach beyond the crisis. Through telemedicine, tens of thousands of women, from those caring for children and elderly relatives to women at risk of violence if they leave the house, have been able to access the timely, high-quality care they need and deserve. 

These stories and others like them from around the world continue to motivate us to do what we can to ensure reproductive rights and services for all, wherever they may be. 

When we now turn our heads to look at what lies ahead, we are excited, hopeful and humble about the challenges we will be facing together. And at the heart of everything, is our vision for the future: that by 2030, no abortion will be unsafe and every individual who wants access to contraception will have it.  

We are confident, that with your support, we can make this happen, and women and girls everywhere will be able to exercise their right to reproductive choice. 

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MSI campaigns to remove barriers to access and protect a woman’s right to choose. With your support, we can continue to provide services to women and girls around the world. Did you know that as little as £6 can provide a woman with the contraception of her choice for a year?

Support our vision to make choice a reality for all