For many women in Central America, accessing reproductive health services is an uphill battle. A combination of sexual and gender-based violence, discrimination,  bans on emergency contraception, criminalization of abortion and extreme poverty lead to high numbers of unwanted pregnancies, mostly among adolescents.  For almost a decade, Central American women have organized themselves in self managed teams to support these women and girls. 

In July, Optio brought together 18 leaders of t reproductive health networks in an effort to improve their safety and expand on their skills and knowledge. During the week-long training, the reproductive rights defenders worked with experts in the region to:  1) share histories of advocacy from each Central America country, 2) develop protocols for helping women access vital reproductive health medicines and technologies in restrictive contexts, 3) establish cyber and mobile security standards, 4) and learn how to use portable ultrasounds to diagnose obstetric emergencies.  

Over the next year, the attendees will use the materials developed in this workshop to train the reproductive rights defenders within their local teams. Optio is currently looking for funding to support  teams in  Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador.