Malawi & Zambia | SRHR | Maternal Health
Key Achievements
Unsafe abortion remained a major but often silenced contributor to maternal injury and death among adolescent girls and young women in Malawi and Zambia. Brian Chumbi Junior and Lydia Makina examined this crisis through a cross-border project that brought survivor voices, medical evidence, and community perspectives into public conversation, challenging stigma and invisibility around one of the region’s most sensitive SRHR issues.
The project focused on the human and systemic consequences of unsafe abortion, including preventable deaths, long-term health complications, stigma, and health system gaps. By centering the experiences of adolescent girls and young women, alongside insights from healthcare workers and civil society actors, the team highlighted how legal, cultural, and institutional barriers continued to shape risky outcomes and silence affected voices.
Evidence gathering combined survivor testimonies, interviews with nurses and doctors, engagement with community leaders, and analysis of data from WHO, Guttmacher Institute, and IPAS. These elements were woven into a documentary that balanced lived experience with clinical and public health context, ensuring accuracy while maintaining emotional depth and cultural relevance. Local languages and familiar platforms were prioritised to increase accessibility and resonance.
Disseminated through digital platforms and community education settings, the project challenged stigma and sparked dialogue among young people, communities, and policymakers.
“This project brought a silenced issue into public view, using survivor stories to challenge stigma and prompt conversations that rarely happen openly.”