The picture of the week

An outbound trip of Family Planning 2030 leadership and country engagement teams, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Onyinye Edeh - School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

2022-12-21

Last week, the Family Planning 2030 leadership and country engagement teams paid a 3-day visit to Freetown, Sierra Leone. This was an opportunity to connect with our country focal points and partners in-person since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess the state of reproductive healthcare in the country, and to discuss Sierra Leone’s #FP2030Commitment. Key insights were gained on reproductive commodity and maternal health challenges. Our team came away with ideas on how to strengthen coordination and technical support amongst partners - government, civil society, youth, donors, private sector - through the newly established FP2030 regional hubs in Africa, Asia, North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

I am grateful for the continued focused leadership and mentorship of our Executive Director (Dr. Samukeliso Dube), interim Managing Director (Monica Kerrigan), and Country Engagement & Transition Director (Chonghee Choi Hwang). We look forward to supporting the Government of #SierraLeone to expand access to rights-based family planning for women, girls, and their families and improving maternal health outcomes in the country. No woman should die while bringing forth new life.

Grateful for the support of our partners: UNFPA, USAID - US Agency for International Development, CARE Sierra Leone, Marie Stopes Sierra Leone, IPPF, and others who helped make this visit successful.

Stakeholders pictured below include: Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation (Mrs. Princess Dugba), Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs (Hon. Manty Tarawalli), FP2030 Focal Points in Sierra Leone, Youth leaders, and civil society representatives.