 |
| Woman Tending to Her Farm. Credit: MSI Reproductive Choices |
By Florence Shadrack
On 25 June 2026, I represented Shades of Us at a webinar titled Women's Voices on Climate Resilience and Reproductive Choices, hosted by Anissa Portalima, Global Director of the Evidence and Impact Team at MSI Reproductive Choices. The webinar marked the launch of a new multi-country qualitative study conducted by MSI Reproductive Choices, YLabs, and their partners to better understand how climate change is affecting women's sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
At first glance, climate change and reproductive health may seem like separate issues. However, the webinar revealed that they are deeply interconnected. Through research conducted in Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Pakistan, the study explored what happens when climate disasters disrupt healthcare systems, destroy livelihoods, and limit women's ability to make informed reproductive choices.
One of the most powerful aspects of the research was its focus on lived experiences. Rather than speaking about women, the researchers spoke with women. They listened to those whose crops had failed due to drought, whose communities had been displaced by floods, and whose access to healthcare had become increasingly difficult because of climate-related disasters. The study sought to answer critical questions: What happens when a woman wants to avoid pregnancy but cannot access family planning services? What happens when a pregnant woman cannot reach a health facility because roads have been destroyed by floods? What support do women need to maintain their health, dignity, and agency during climate crises?
The findings were both alarming and enlightening. Across the three countries, climate emergencies disrupted access to reproductive healthcare services, created shortages of essential commodities, and exposed weaknesses in health systems that were already struggling to meet community needs. The research also found that climate-related economic hardship was influencing family planning decisions, with many families choosing to have fewer children or space pregnancies further apart because of growing financial uncertainty.
As I listened to the discussions, I could not help but think about Nigeria.
Although the study focused on Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Pakistan, many of the experiences shared during the webinar closely mirror realities already unfolding across Nigeria. In recent years, devastating floods have displaced thousands of families in states such as Kogi, Benue, Bayelsa, and Borno. During flood seasons, roads become inaccessible, health facilities are damaged, and communities are cut off from essential services. For pregnant women and women seeking reproductive healthcare, these disruptions can have serious consequences.
In northern Nigeria, prolonged drought and desertification continue to threaten livelihoods, particularly among farming communities. As agricultural productivity declines, families face increasing food insecurity and economic hardship. These pressures often affect reproductive decisions, including when to have children and how many children families feel they can support. In some communities, climate-induced poverty can increase vulnerability to child marriage, school dropout, and other harmful coping mechanisms, particularly among girls and young women.
What stood out to me most during the webinar was a point raised by Nina Strem, Senior Advisor on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. She noted that the effects of climate change on health and reproductive rights are not future concerns; they are already happening. This observation resonates strongly with Nigeria's reality today.
The discussions also highlighted an important gap: many climate adaptation strategies fail to adequately consider sexual and reproductive health needs. At the same time, some health programmes are not designed with climate realities in mind. This disconnect leaves women vulnerable during climate emergencies. As organizations increasingly invest in climate adaptation, there is an urgent need to integrate reproductive health services into disaster preparedness, climate resilience planning, and community development programmes.
For me, the webinar reinforced a simple but powerful message: climate resilience is not only about protecting infrastructure, agriculture, or the environment. It is also about protecting people. It is about ensuring that women can safely access healthcare, make informed reproductive choices, and maintain their dignity regardless of climate-related challenges.
I believe the voices of women must be at the center of conversations about climate change. Policies and programmes are most effective when they are informed by the realities of those directly affected. The experiences shared through this research remind us that women are not merely victims of climate change; they are key stakeholders whose knowledge and perspectives are essential to building resilient communities.
The webinar challenged me to think beyond climate change as an environmental issue and to see it as a human development issue. In Nigeria and across the world, strengthening climate resilience must include strengthening sexual and reproductive health services. After all, when climate shocks disrupt a woman's ability to access healthcare, exercise her reproductive rights, or plan her future, the consequences extend far beyond the individual—they affect families, communities, and generations to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment