Nairobi: Stakeholders drawn from various women’s health organizations, advocacy groups, and private sector partners met at Pride-Inn Blue Azure Hotel, Nairobi to discuss challenges facing women’s health and explore collaborative solutions.
According to Kenya News Agency, the high-level meeting was organized by the Coalition of Women Health Rights (COWHA), a membership-driven platform of private and non-state organizations dedicated to promoting equitable healthcare and wellbeing for women and girls across Africa.
The event brought together policymakers, advocates, and development partners to deliberate on ways to enhance women’s access to quality healthcare and promote gender equity in health systems.
Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba, who also serves as the African Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Champion, emphasized the need for collective responsibility in addressing the inequalities that continue to affect women’s access to healthcare. ‘Women’s health is not just a women’s issue; it’s a societal matter that requires joint efforts from all sectors. Every woman deserves respectful, safe, and accessible healthcare,’ she said.
COWHA, which stands out as Africa’s first private sector driven coalition advancing women’s health, seeks to create a united front for action through advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and partnership building. Its vision is ‘An Africa where women and girls have access to equitable healthcare and optimal wellbeing,’ while its mission focuses on ‘catalyzing partnerships through knowledge, advocacy, and action,’ said Wamuchomba.
Participants discussed issues such as maternal mortality, reproductive health stigma, limited access to healthcare facilities in rural areas, and the need to strengthen policies that safeguard women’s reproductive rights. The session also encouraged open dialogue between private sector stakeholders and government institutions to build more responsive health systems.
One of the beneficiaries, Lucy Mwikali, a reproductive health advocate from Machakos County, shared how partnerships created through COWHA programmes have helped women in her community gain access to maternal and reproductive health education. ‘Through COWHA’s outreach programmes, many young women in our county now understand their reproductive rights and can access better maternal health services,’ said Mwikali.
At the conclusion of the event, stakeholders agreed to continue fostering collaboration between organizations, governments, and communities to eliminate barriers to women’s healthcare. The meeting reaffirmed COWHA’s commitment to advancing policies and programmes that ensure women and girls across Africa live healthier, empowered, and dignified lives.