If our clients were 100 people
We believe that every woman and girl should have control over her body, choose if or when to start a family, and pursue her aspirations. Around the world, we’ve told stories of young women for whom contraception was a lifeline to their dreams and a vital opportunity to disrupt the cycle of poverty.
Last year, our teams around the world ensured that 26.9 million women, men and adolescents were using a method of contraception supplied by Marie Stopes International (MSI). Our services prevented 5.4 million unsafe abortions, 8.2 million unintended pregnancies, and 23,900 maternal deaths.
It’s not always easy to see how your actions impact the lives of people thousands of miles away. Millions of unintended pregnancies prevented, thousands of contraceptive devices — the numbers can blur together. That’s why, to bring home the impact of our work and your contributions, we’re asking the question: what if we served just 100 people?
26 clients would live in extreme poverty.
Twenty-six percent of the women, men and adolescents who access our services live on less than $1.25 a day. That’s why we provide our services for free to people like 16-year-old Mi Aye from Myanmar. Mi lives in a squatter’s quarter, and had her first child just one year after she got married at age 14.
“To be honest, I’d never thought of the consequences that follow a marriage. Nobody told me about how you have children or how I could avoid getting pregnant, so of course, I got pregnant. I was a child giving birth to a child because I was only 14. And afterwards, I was really frightened about getting pregnant again but I didn’t know what to do to stop it.”
Mi was still searching for options when MSI visited the area. After talking to our health workers, she learned about a variety of contraceptives and decided she wanted one that would work for a long time. Because of her lack of resources, Mi received her contraception for free.
“It was like being thirsty and falling into a well.”
No matter her situation, every woman deserves the ability to control her own life.
11 clients would be between ages 15 and 19.
Approximately 11% of our clients are between ages 15 and 19. We believe that investing in young peoples’ reproductive choice is critical to their future success and the prosperity of the planet. While taboos and cultural norms often prevent young people from having open conversations about sex and contraception, we strive to be their lifeline.
Lois is 15 years old. A junior in high school, she has one child — a baby girl named Aoife. The baby’s father is no longer in the picture, but Lois’ grandmother has stepped in to help out. After the pregnancy forced her to put her education on hold, contraception is allowing Lois to return to school and take back control of her life.
“I want to continue my education to senior high. I want to become a lawyer when I’m older. I have this ambition to defend children and speak on behalf of girls who suffer from teenage pregnancy, because of my experience. It’s very difficult to be a very young mother.”
Lois says access to contraception gave her control over her life. She believes it should be accessible for all young men and women, and hopes more people start coming to their local Marie Stopes clinic.
51 people would be using contraception for the first time.
Over half of those relying on our services across the world were not using contraception when they came to us. Thanks to our teams in 37 countries, these clients can now decide when to start a family on their own terms.
Ghanaian teenager Deborah has a four-month-old child. She wasn’t using contraception at the time, and the pregnancy was unexpected — forcing her to drop out of school.
“Because of the baby I couldn’t complete school last year. If I knew the injection was there, I would not have had my first born as early.”
After visiting her local MSI clinic, Deborah received a five-year contraceptive implant. With this protection against future unplanned pregnancies, she can now concentrate on completing her education and becoming a nurse.
“It will help me, for me not to get pregnant unless I finish my education.”
With long-lasting contraception, Deborah now has her future under control.
50 people would have no other place to get the contraception, safe abortion or post-abortion care we provided.
Our teams around the world work to deliver much-needed contraception and family planning services to those who would not otherwise have access to them. We believe every woman, everywhere, should be able to control her own future.
Scola Akonaay is 29 and has six children. She was taking her baby for a vaccination at her local health center when she noticed that the Marie Stopes Tanzania outreach team was also there.
“I didn’t know about the clinic before today. I came here for my baby to be vaccinated and saw that they were offering family planning services.”
A key part of our commitment to providing contraception and safe abortion services is delivering them in remote areas, where women would otherwise have no access to this type of support. Although Scola had some knowledge of family planning, the services she wanted had not been available to her in the past.
“I have chosen the three-year implant because it is my first time and I want to try it. I would like this baby to be my last, so after this implant, I will continue to use family planning.”
At MSI, we know that people don’t live in a vacuum. Whether due to financial inability, social pressure, or lack of knowledge, many clients like Mi, Lois, Deborah and Scola who want contraception cannot access it. That’s where we come in.
