Almost 225 million women and girls would like to avoid pregnancy but they have no access to contraceptives. Every day, over 800 women and girls die of pregnancy complications – and over 100 die because of unsafe abortions.
For years, the United States has been an important partner to help bring these numbers down. With a yearly budget of over $600 million for family planning and reproductive health programs, many women and couples around the world received contraceptive services and supplies. Every year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, two million unsafe abortions were prevented and over 11.000 deaths were averted.
But these gains are now at risk. The reinstatement of the so-called Mexico City Policy prohibits US government funding of organizations that provide access to (information about) abortions. Many of these organizations also provide access to family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention.
We cannot let that happen. Women and girls should have the right to make their own choices. They should have access to adequate health care.
That is why Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, decided to launch the She Decides - Global Fundraising Initiative. It aims to ensure that millions of women and girls are in charge of their own bodies.
The financial contributions for the She Decides -Global Fundraising Initiative will be made available to organizations affected by the Mexico City Policy. They will fund reproductive health initiatives in developing countries.
Several governments have already announced they will join the She Decides: Global Fundraising Initiative.
The Initiative is also open to individual contributions. You can help! Donations for She Decides are coordinated by The Rutgers Foundation.
- For contributions in EUR: NL53 ABNA 0586 6666 64
- For contributions in USD: NL98 ABNA 0594 5454 55
These accounts are managed by Rutgers, an international operating NGO on sexual and reproductive health and rights based in the Netherlands, in close cooperation with the government of the Netherlands. Rutgers holds the certificate by the Central Bureau of Fundraising. All funds will go to the affected organizations.
On this website we will keep you up to date about the contributions and the partners who join the She Decides – Global Fundraising Initiative. The organizations that receive funding will share information on the programs with reference to She Decides in their reporting to donors and online. They will publicly make available certified audit reports, including reference to funding they received from She Decides.
