Campaigns
The voices that spark change
Our campaigns amplify the voices of women, girls, and the community to demand the health and well-being they deserve. So we listen to their lived experiences, bring their realities to their forefront, and mobilize action from policymakers, partners, and citizens to create a lasting change to maternal and newborn health.
What Women Want for quality Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health (RMNH)
This report presents findings from the initial ‘What Women Want campaign’, which gathered the voices of nearly 120,000 women and girls in Kenya to identify their top priorities for quality healthcare. Unlike traditional approaches, this initiative allowed women to set the agenda, highlighting key barriers such as long distances to health facilities, lack of transport during labor, and the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The campaign revealed ten top demands from women and girls, including improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in health facilities, respectful and dignified care, better access to menstrual health products, availability of quality medicines and supplies, improved transportation infrastructure, and affordable healthcare. Women also prioritized competent and well-supported healthcare providers, access to family planning, increased health facilities, and food and nutrition services. The report emphasizes the need for quality healthcare services that reflect the real needs of women and girls. It calls for policymakers and stakeholders to align healthcare improvements with these self-expressed priorities, ensuring that women’s voices shape the future of maternal and reproductive health in Kenya. Read the full report at; Demands for Quality Healthcare from Kenya’s Women and Girls.
Lived effects of climate change, conflict, COVID, and cost of living on women’s health
This report examines the impact of climate change, conflict, the rising cost of living, and COVID-19 (4Cs) on reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) across 27 high-burden maternal mortality counties in Kenya. Through a listening exercise, women and girls shared their experiences, revealing barriers such as inadequate healthcare access, financial strain, and displacement that limit their ability to receive quality RMNH services. The report emphasizes the need for policy reforms, community-driven interventions, and increased accountability to ensure healthcare systems are adaptive, resilient, and centered on women’s needs. It also urges decision-makers to prioritize women’s voices in health investments and deliver on the promise of universal health coverage despite the impacts of the 4Cs. Read the full report here; Lived Effects of the 4Cs.
What Women Want for economic empowerment
This report explores the critical link between women's economic empowerment and their access to quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn healthcare. Through our ASK-LISTEN-ACT approach, 5,929 women and girls in Kajiado County shared their self-articulated needs, emphasizing financial independence as a key driver of better health outcomes. Findings highlight the need for affordable healthcare access, transport, menstrual products, and family planning; all tied to economic stability. The report calls on decision-makers to prioritize women’s voices and invest in women-centric economic opportunities, ensuring they have the power to make informed health choices for themselves and their families. Read the full report through; Women Economic Empowerment.
The silent tears: Voices of loss casebook
This Casebook presents 17 distressing stories of women and newborns failed by the Kenyan healthcare system. It sheds light on why we believe most maternal and newborn mortalities are avoidable at little or no cost. The Casebook also powerfully uncovers the hidden inequities within Kenyan counties by presenting real-life stories of mothers lost, newborns unseen, babies unborn and fathers and families left behind. Instead of relying on lifeless statistics, this casebook brings to light the faces and emotions of these women and babies, humanizing the issue and holding leaders accountable for their unfulfilled commitments. At WRA-Kenya, we shape the women’s health narrative through grassroots organizing and the use of storytelling to highlight the burden of maternal and newborn health issues in Kenya. Read the full report through: Silent Tears: Voices of Loss.
What Women Want: Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands report
This report presents the voices, challenges, and priorities of midwives in Kenya, emphasizing their critical role in providing quality reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (RMNAH) care. Based on insights from 102 midwives, the report highlights workforce shortages, weak health systems, inadequate resources, and career progression barriers as key challenges. Midwives call for better pay, career growth opportunities, improved healthcare infrastructure, adequate medical supplies, and stronger referral systems. The report calls for urgent investment in midwifery to strengthen Kenya’s healthcare system and improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. Read the full report through: Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands.
Effects of Covid-19 on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health in Kenya
This report produced following the unprecedented occurrence of COVID-19 in the period between 2019-2022, highlights the impact of COVID-19 on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) in Kenya. It particularly focuses on the struggles of pregnant women in Kenya, emphasizing their unique vulnerabilities amid the pandemic. While the government implemented strict public health measures to curb transmission, little consideration was given to pregnant women’s access to essential maternal healthcare. The report identifies key challenges, including limited disease management strategies during pregnancy, community-level misinformation, and barriers to accessing healthcare, such as fear, stigma, and police harassment during curfew hours. It calls for a targeted, multi-sectoral response to ensure pregnant women receive the care and protection they need during public health crises. Read the full report through: Citizen Voices.
What newborns want for Respectful Maternal and Newborn Care
This report by WRA Kenya amplifies the voices and demands of newborns through perceptions and knowledge from their mothers, fathers, caregivers, and healthcare workers. With Kenya experiencing an estimated 50,000 newborn deaths annually from preventable causes, the report highlights critical gaps in newborn care across six counties (Bungoma, Kisumu, Vihiga, Kakamega, Nairobi, and Kiambu) based on focus group discussions and 3,068 in-depth interviews. Key findings emphasize the need for respectful and dignified care, improved access to clean water, sanitation, and skilled healthcare, and equitable treatment for all newborns. The report calls for urgent action to enhance maternal and newborn health, ensuring dignity, equity, and life-saving interventions for Kenya’s most vulnerable populations.
What Women Want for Respectful Maternity Care (RMC)
This report presents the key demands for RMC from women and girls in Kenya, based on responses from 3,212 participants across Kakamega, Kisumu, Vihiga, and Narok counties. Through a listening exercise, women shared what respect means to them when accessing maternal health services before, during, and after childbirth. Their top six demands for RMC included: Being treated with respect and kindness (42%); Access to quality healthcare services (38%); Receiving care free from mistreatment, harassment, or discrimination (7%); Dignity and confidentiality in medical care (6%); Clean, well-equipped facilities with sufficient medical supplies and staff (4%) and; Timely services with minimal waiting periods (3%). The findings emphasize that disrespectful and poor-quality care discourages women from seeking skilled maternal health services, which directly affects maternal and newborn health outcomes. This report calls for policy changes and advocacy efforts to ensure that respect, dignity, and quality healthcare become standard for all women and girls.
