Facts, Views & Vision
in ObGyn

Journal of the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy

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Infertility in the Global South: Raising awareness and generating insights for policy and practice

T. GERRITS1, F. Van ROOIJ2, T. ESHO3, W. NDEGWAA4, J. GOOSSENS5, A. BILAJBEGOVIC1, A. JANSEN2, B. KIOKO3, L. KOPPEN1, S. K. MIGIRO3, S. MWENDA3, H. BOS2

1 University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research; 2 University of Amsterdam, Research Institute Child Development and Education; 3 Technical University of Kenya, Department of Community and Public Health; 4 Footsteps for Fertility Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya; 5 The Walking Egg, Genk, Belgium

 

Correspondence at:g.j.e.gerrits@uva.n

Keywords:

Advocacy, Ghana, infertility, IVF, Kenya, male involvement, more affordable treatment, prevention, reproductive rights, stigmatization, support groups


Published online: Mar 30 2017

Abstract

Infertility is a highly prevalent reproductive health condition in the global South, which often has a devastating impact on the people concerned. Yet, thus far it hardly received any attention from policy makers, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or donors working in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). For this reason we have set up a project to increase knowledge and awareness about infertility and childlessness among those stakeholders and organizations and to generate insight into (possible) interventions in this field. The project received a grant by Share-Net International (the Knowledge Platform in the field of SRHR, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and is a unique collaboration between universities, fertility clinics, fertility support groups and the Walking Egg Foundation. The project consists of multimethods studies in Ghana and Kenya as well as dissemination workshops and meetings in these countries and the Netherlands. The first workshops in Kenya have already taken place with successful feedback from stakeholders. In this commentary we provide insight into the project and the main points and recommendations discussed in the Workshops in Kenya.