During my three years at International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR), I have been fortunate—and humbled—to work with incredible colleagues whose dedication to securing sexual and reproductive health and rights for all is unsurpassed.
As Project Design Coordinator, I know my work is vitally important, particularly at a time when several large global health donors have withdrawn from Latin America and the Caribbean. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has “graduated” the majority of countries in our region, despite the inequalities that persist, as has the UK Department for International Development, USAID’s counterpart in the United Kingdom. The Netherlands, one of the region’s significant donors, is currently phasing out its final project in Colombia, and the Danish government will be pulling out of Nicaragua, a country it has supported for many years.
Despite this trend, last year IPPF/WHR Member Associations provided nearly 29 million vital health services and worked to promote the sexual rights of every woman, man and young person. But sometimes, working on these issues from behind a computer screen is not enough. For many of us, our mission is more than our 9 to 5. We live and breathe the commitment constantly, both in and out of the office. We march for reproductive rights in the United States, spread the word, and continue to seek opportunities to expand our knowledge of the field.
While we are often challenged to defend the right of all women and girls to decide if, when, and with whom to have children, the equally important right to choose the way in which a woman brings her baby into the world often does not receive the attention it deserves. Rich or poor, childbirth is a defining moment in a woman’s life—whether the experience is positive or not, it is one that she never forgets.
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