Spotlight Reproductive Health

Reproductive health is one of the SRC’s seven thematic priorities in international cooperation. The SRC supports Sister National Societies in low- and middle-income countries providing person-centred maternal, child and adolescent health services, promoting preparedness and healthy behaviour, and addressing sexual and gender-based violence in an inclusive manner. In all the countries concerned, the Sister National Societies and volunteers complement the local health system’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by reducing mortality and morbidity rates.

In 2024, the SRC supported reproductive health activities in eleven countries (Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, Laos, Lebanon, Malawi, Nepal, South Sudan and Togo) in differing ways depending on the context and its partner’s mandate. The spotlight provides a glimpse of our partners’ work.

Key cumulative data 2024

In 2024, 98 123 people had a reproductive health consultation and 468 337 people were reached with a related health promotion or behaviour change activity thanks to SRC support. As a result, an average of 71% of pregnant women in targeted projects had four or more antenatal care visits at a health centre. The average rate of institutional delivery with a skilled birth attendant was 73% and 89% of children were exclusively breastfed for at least six months.

Learn more about our impact in reproductive health.

The examples represent snapshots of our work in the programme countries and highlight some of the year’s specific outputs. The impact of the different country reproductive health programmes is highlighted in the Programme Domain HealthOpens a new window.

Bangladesh: Restoring hope and saving lives – Transforming maternal health in Rohingya camps

Since the arrival of hundreds of thousand people from Myanmar in 2017, the overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar in the South of Bangladesh have faced severe challenges in maternal and child healthcare. High maternal and neonatal mortality rates, driven by unsafe home deliveries, malnutrition, postpartum complications, and limited access to medical facilities were observed in the first months of the crisis. Cultural barriers in utilizing health care further exacerbated the situation.

In response, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, working with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other stakeholders, has opened primary healthcare centres to provide essential services, including antenatal/postnatal care and safe delivery by skilled birth attendants. However, even though Red Crescent volunteers have informed families through outreach programmes and distributed educational materials, the institutional delivery rate has stagnated.

Tailoring interventions to meet the needs of women and men

In April 2024, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society decided to conduct a root cause analysis. According to the men and women interviewed, pregnant women were reluctant to access institutional delivery owing to the absence of a male head of household (or of his consent) at the time of delivery, lack of transportation at night and mistrust in the delivery procedures. Together with the local community, the National Society designed and implemented tailored actions to address those barriers, with gender-specific initiatives promoting accessibility and engagement among women and men, further improving maternal health outcomes.

More babies born in the health centers

Institutional delivery rates in the camps increased from 40% in 2018 to 87% by the end of 2024, reflecting the success of integrated care and behaviour change efforts. In all, 1,544 women had normal vaginal births in the health centres, and 229 pregnant women with complications were referred to higher-level facilities, with no maternal deaths in the National Society catchment area.

El Salvador: Reducing teenage pregnancy

In El Salvador, sexual and reproductive health education is limited, while rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections remain high, negatively affecting the country's economy and people’s education. In fact, a United Nations Population Fund study estimates that only 2.6% of adolescents access higher education.

Self-knowledge and self-care

The Salvadorean Red Cross Society, in its auxiliary role and through the social inclusion project financed by the Swiss Red Cross, has had a positive impact in Santa Ana, a department with a high teen pregnancy rate. In the first year (2024) of its second phase and working with institutions such as the Municipal Women's Units, the Ministry of Education and the Health Units, the project provided 120 young people with training in soft skills, life projects, self-knowledge, self-care, sexual identity concerns and contraception.

Young people as agents of change

The year’s success stories include raising awareness of how to prevent sexually transmitted infections and delaying first sexual encounters, and training young people as agents of change. Not only have the people trained strengthened their self-care and commitment to sexual and reproductive health, they are also driving change in their communities by empowering other adolescents with the same knowledge.

Haiti: Hope for people in need – cash for nursing mothers

Armed groups continued to wreak havoc across Haiti, compelling many families to flee their homes. The displaced included highly vulnerable groups – individuals with disabilities and nursing mothers – with urgent needs. The Haiti Red Cross Society therefore prioritized them in its response efforts. 

Assistance for nursing mothers

In February 2024, Olivia, 39 and the mother of four children, was forced to leave Bel-Air, in the capital, and seek refuge in Cormier, in Léogâne municipality. On arrival, she was temporarily housed by locals, but her family of six was too large for her hosts to accommodate for long.  

Facing an uncertain future, Olivia participated in a Red Cross assessment and received 20 000 Haitian gourdes (about USD 150) in assistance made available by the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) to the Haiti Red Cross. This enabled her to pay a year’s rent on a small house and to purchase essential food items for the family. Cash distributions allow vulnerable people to buy what they need most and to make their own choices, promoting a sense of dignity and control over their situation. For Olivia and her family, the cash made an immense difference: "We had no place to stay and not much to eat. Thanks to the cash distribution from the Haiti Red Cross, we were able to find a home and I could buy the food we needed." The security of having paid the rent for a year was a huge relief for her family.  

Future hopes

Olivia and her husband remain hopeful that their situation will improve. In the meantime, Olivia is determined to send her three older children to school, despite the challenges. Thanks to the SRC’s support, the Haiti Red Cross is able to provide crucial support to vulnerable families like Olivia's, offering them a measure of stability and hope amid the turmoil caused by armed groups. The provision of financial aid, hygiene kits and other forms of support has made a tangible difference in their lives, helping them to meet their immediate needs and plan for a better future.

Laos: Preventing premature motherhood

Teen pregnancies became even more common in Laos in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result of inflation. Together with the provincial health office, the Lao Red Cross (LRC) developed a comprehensive awareness-raising and behaviour-change programme for adolescents, young people, their parents and the entire community in Pakseng and Phontong districts in Laos.

Reaching peers and guardians is key

In a peer education initiative, the LRC trains local teenagers to become peer educators. This involves workshops where 705 young people to date have learned about reproductive health issues, adolescent development and effective communication strategies for engaging their peers about the importance of preventing unintended pregnancies.

The LRC also organises workshops for parents and guardians about adolescent development and communication, to foster a supportive environment at home and reduce the stigma surrounding discussion of the subject and health seeking on sexual health. Health centre staff trained in adolescent health needs offer regular check-ups where teenagers can receive confidential advice, reproductive health care and information on accessible contraceptive methods. Adolescent corners in the health centres allow teens to speak privately with health professionals about their concerns.

How information impacts young people's lives

According to an evaluation in 2024, 81% of young people reached in the two intervention districts improved their knowledge about their own bodies and health. Furthermore, the estimated adolescent pregnancy rate both districts declined from 95 per 1000 in 2022 to 7 per 1000, in 2024. According to the young people, the sessions helped them understand things their parents never talked about, they felt good to have control over their choices, and they wanted to have more honest conversations with their partners.

Nepal: Birth preparedness plan – A journey to safer motherhood

Nepal has made steady progress towards its goal of reducing maternal mortality to 70 per 100 000 live births by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Much remains to be done, however, particularly in remote areas with limited access to healthcare. Persistent barriers such as cultural norms restricting women's decision-making, inconsistent access to free ambulance services, and gaps in maternity insurance continue to hinder progress. Birth preparedness plans, an initiative of the Ministry of Health in Nepal, aim to help families preparing a supportive environment for safe childbirth.

Reaching out to pregnant women through a wide net of stakeholders

The plans are promoted through an initiative that fosters behaviour change through interpersonal communication, home visits and community engagement. The Nepal Red Cross Society’s trained volunteers, health mothers’ groups and health workers provide families with information on antenatal care, pregnancy danger signs and safe childbirth practices. They also help identify skilled birth attendants, assist with delivery planning, arrange transportation, secure blood donors and encourage families to save money for medical expenses. In 2024, 10 577 people had received information about the plans.

Readiness is life-saving in case of complications

A December 2024 assessment showed that 94% of pregnant women had a birth preparedness plan (BPP), an increase from 26% from 2022. However, most families were not able to solicit possible blood donors prior to delivery and include their information in the BPP. Through the behaviour change initiative, the percentage of BPPs which include blood donor information increased from 27% to 51% within the year 2024. The behaviour change approach has been instrumental in changing community awareness and practice to have a complete BPP including blood donor readiness.

Togo: Mothers’ Clubs to improve health outcomes

The Togolese Red Cross plays a crucial role in community health, primarily through Mothers' Clubs. These are local structures that actively promote essential family practices. Thanks to the clubs, infectious disease prevention has improved, and the demand for health services has increased for children under 5, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. 

Improved access to maternal health care

Of the 4743 pregnant women attended by the clubs in 2024, 2754 had at least four antenatal consultations, an 8% increase from 2023. The number of safe deliveries in secure facilities also rose significantly, with 3455 out of 4743 registered pregnant women giving birth in such settings, contributing to a reduction in home births from 12.5% in 2023 to 9.5% in 2024.

Exclusive breastfeeding

Exclusive maternal breastfeeding of children aged 0 to 6 months increased remarkably, from 71% in 2023 to 96% in 2024. Additionally, awareness-raising sessions reached 121 959 people, addressing cultural barriers linked to essential family practices and enhancing access to services and care.

Mothers’ Clubs have set up emergency funds that lend money to people in need of urgent health care or transportation. 

All these improvements were largely the result of educational talks by Mothers' Clubs, of men accompanying their pregnant wives to health centres and of the emergency funds. They underscore the importance of community-based approaches to promoting health and well-being, especially in vulnerable populations. The continued support and involvement of local structures like the Mothers' Clubs will be vital in sustaining and further improving these outcomes.

Reproductive health is an integral part of the core competency “community health”. The SRC helps Sister National Societies to identify behavioural causes of reproductive health issues and to co-create/implement activities with local people to address relevant barriers and train facilitators. National Society staff and volunteers play a pivotal role in increasing demand for safe institutional deliveries, birth spacing and delaying sex among adolescents. The SRC will continue to support the community health programming of Sister National Societies, based on local demand and needs.