In March of 2020, our 2020 New Voices Fellow, André Ndayambaje, a midwife and health services coordinator at the University for Global Health Equity in Rwanda, published his first op-ed arguing for access to contraceptives for teenagers in Rwanda.
Sharing the story of Mercy Mbhazi, who died at the age of 14 from from severe infection due to unsafe abortion, Ndayambaje noted the epidemic of teenage pregnancies sweeping Rwanda.
Recent data shows that teenage pregnancies in Rwanda have increased by 200 per cent in the last ten years. Ndayambaje writes that while there’s been a lot of discussion about the need to improve parent-child communication and overcome the “culture of silence” around teen pregnancies, “the reality is that there’s something we can do immediately that could have a dramatic impact on teen pregnancies: Change the law so that girls under 18 years old do not have to involve their parents to access contraceptives”. If not, there will be a continued rise in teenage pregnancies, poorer health outcomes for mothers and babies, and ultimately hurt our prospects for economic growth”.
Four year later, in 2024, we see the big impact from his work and writing. “Let’s stop restrictions on contraceptives for teenagers,” launched an advocacy campaign that culminated with the passage of a law allowing contraception for teens without the need for parental consent in Rwanda. The law, which passed on Nov. 4, 2024, is expected to help reverse the high rate of teen pregnancies that increased by 200% between 2010-2020. The spike caused an increase in maternal and infant deaths. Ndayambaje recently wrote another piece, “Today’s crisis of teen pregnancies and births is controllable and stoppable” sharing what else can be done to reduce teen pregnancies.
Click below to learn more about the crisis of teen pregnancies in Rwanda.