Connecting Women and Adolescent Girls to Essential Health Services Amid Crisis

Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis and Ebola outbreak, Repro Justice Congo has intensified community outreach in Goma and Nyiragongo to ensure that women and adolescent girls continue to have access to reliable information and essential sexual and reproductive health services. At the heart of this intervention is raising awareness about Repro Justice Congo’s confidential hotline. Through community outreach and peer educators, women and adolescent girls were informed that they can access the hotline through phone calls, SMS and WhatsApp to receive confidential, non-judgmental information on contraception, safe abortion, post-abortion care, HIV and other sexual and reproductive health needs. When additional care is required, callers can also be referred to Haki ya Afya Clinic or other trusted providers. “I did not know that I could call and receive confidential information without first going to a health facility. Now I know where to seek help when I need it.” Anonymous participant To bring services even closer to communities, Repro Justice Congo also deployed its Mobile Clinic, providing voluntary HIV and STI screening, sexual and reproductive health counselling, and referrals for additional services when needed. The outreach also provided an important opportunity to raise awareness about Ebola. Women and adolescent girls received practical information on transmission, prevention measures, warning signs, and the importance of continuing to seek essential healthcare safely during the outbreak. By combining information, prevention, screening and referral, this integrated approach helps address some of the barriers women and girls face during humanitarian and public health emergencies, including insecurity, displacement, misinformation and difficulties reaching health facilities. Through its hotline, Mobile Clinic, Haki ya Afya Clinic and peer educators, Repro Justice Congo continues to bring trusted information and essential services closer to women and adolescent girls in Goma and Nyiragongo. Because even during humanitarian and public health emergencies, women and adolescent girls must be able to access accurate, confidential and stigma-free sexual and reproductive health information and services.