A new advocacy film, Empty-Handed: Responding to the Demand for Contraceptives, tells the story of women’s lack of access to reproductive health supplies in sub-Saharan Africa, and its impact on their lives. Produced by Population Action International with technical and financial support from the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, Empty-Handed illustrates the devastating consequences of supply shortages and stockouts on family size, abortion, spacing and delaying pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other STIs. In sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates are some of the highest in the world, a woman’s lifetime risk of dying due to pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 22. The film documents the challenges at each level of the supply chain and identifies key areas for improvement.
At the Empty-Handed website, viewers can watch the film and download an accompanying advocacy guide.
