Toolkit basics
This toolkit aims to collaboratively strengthen capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa in two main areas:
- The planning and implementation of abortion-related research that will ultimately expand access to safe abortion
- The effective communication about and advocacy for evidence-based policy change, resulting in measurable policy impact
Our vision is that this resource will help build the sustainable expertise necessary to advance safe abortion access on the subcontinent.
For an overview of approaches to studying abortion and communicating resulting evidence for advocacy, download
This resource is for abortion researchers and advocates in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 139 million women of reproductive age who want to avoid a pregnancy (Sully et al., 2020). High-quality evidence on abortion can shape national investments and policies that are pivotal for ensuring the provision of sexual and reproductive health services. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa lack strong local abortion research and advocacy capacity. This toolkit is designed to help fill that gap.
This toolkit is a compendium of resources for building capacity to conduct abortion research, communicate findings and advocate for policy change that supports safe abortion access. Included are resources about:
The toolkit uses gender-inclusive language throughout this website to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of people who may need or communicate about abortion services. However, not all resources included use gender-inclusive language, and pre-existing tools were not edited.
The primary content is a collection of resources in a variety of delivery formats: pdf, PowerPoint, video and links to online-only materials. All are accessed most easily on the Resources page where they can be filtered by subject and sorted by title or the date added to the toolkit. To help abortion researchers and advocates leverage these resources and build capacity to independently conduct abortion research, effectively communicate evidence and advocate for policy change the site provides additional background on each of these areas. Finally, the Community of Practice shares links to organizations providing capacity strengthening support services. It is envisioned that this area will evolve and expand into a community forum platform for TARAA users.
The Guttmacher Institute partnered with AISE Consulting Group to develop the toolkit. To ensure that this toolkit is a user-driven, user-informed product, our process included:
- A landscape survey of existing resources for supporting abortion research, communication and advocacy.
- Close consultation with partners in five African countries to identify the type of tool and content desired.
- Individual and group interviews to survey preferences, as well as design sessions and workshops to gather feedback on the prototype.
Our country collaborators
In choosing the countries we worked in, we prioritized settings where Guttmacher was already engaged in capacity strengthening activities and
- Where partner organizations were close to achieving independent, sustainable research and advocacy capacity on abortion and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) more broadly, or
- Where partner organizations were ready to take the lead in strengthening the capacity of others.
Click on each link below to learn more about each country, the partners and the collaborative work.