Iran war delays deliveries of contraceptives to African clinics that already face a $185 million funding shortfall as foreign aid dries up
Source: Fortune ·
The war has forced carriers to reroute contraceptive shipments, adding months of delays to a system already weakened by aid cuts
From the source
Being a teen mother was far from what Zimbabwean Kelly Nhedega had imagined. The 18-year-old had mapped out a different future: finish school, train as a nurse and then start a family. But when she became sexually active, contraception felt out of reach. The stigma of a young girl queuing for condoms, pills or a birth control implant at a crowded local clinic where other patients, or even health workers, could judge her or tell her parents, kept Nhedega away. She became pregnant at 16 and dropped out of school. Now caring for an 18-month-old child, Nhedega recently obtained contraception discreetly as she tries to get back to a classroom. “That’s a mission I have to complete first. More babies will mean less or no time for school,” she said, her toddler fidgeting on her lap. As aid cuts and global shipping disruptions threaten access to contraception for girls in Africa, Nhedega’s experience highlights a broader challenge that goes beyond whether contraceptives are being bought or…