Webinar | Choice in her hands: Enabling safe self-care during COVID-19

On Tuesday 19th May, Marie Stopes International hosted a webinar in partnership with FP2020, with speakers from FP2020’s grantee in Nigeria, Corona Management System, discussing some of the challenges facing women under COVID-19 and the role self-administered sexual and reproductive healthcare can play in getting contraceptives and safe abortion services into the hands of women, safely. 

Presentations included insights and innovations from the frontline of reproductive healthcare, alongside strategies for supporting women to self-administer safely, during the pandemic and beyond. 

Speakers included: 

• Dr Helen Blackholly, VP & Director of Technical Services at Marie Stopes International who shared the global perspective on the role of self-care sexual and reproductive health during COVID-19 and beyond. 
• Dilly Severin, Senior Director of Global Initiatives at FP2020 sharing the challenges facing family planning access during COVID-19, how these barriers are impacting women and girls and the projected impact on unmet need for contraception. 
• Dr Chijioke Kaduru of Corona Management System, FP2020 grantee sharing the barriers to frontline services in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, facing supply chain challenges and PPE shortages, how this has impacted women’s uptake, and how services are pivoting to meet increased need. 
• Raveena Chowdhury, Head of Integrated Service Delivery at Marie Stopes International presenting Marie Stopes International’s vision for what good self-care looks like, with women aware of their rights and options available, able to access a safe, quality self-care product, and with the knowledge of how to self-administer safely and who to contact if they have any questions or need after-care support. Raveena shared how these learnings have enabled programmes to innovate under COVID-19. 
• Sandy Garcon, Senior Manager of Advocacy, Communications and External Affairs at Population Services International, was due to present on the work of the self-care trailblazer group and how the sector can advocate for an enabling environment that allows women to self-care safely. Unfortunately, Sandy faced technical difficulties and was unable to present live, but his slides can be accessed in the presentation slide deck linked below.  

The presentations were followed by an audience Q&A.

The full webinar can be watched below and the slide deck can be downloaded here.