Respectful Maternity Care
Sexual/Reproductive Health & Rights
Safe Abortion
Self-Care
History & Mission
WRA Nepal, locally known as the Safe Motherhood Network Federation Nepal (SMNF), has been a leader in reproductive, maternal and newborn health and rights for decades. By providing information on safe abortion services to communities, training health providers on the importance of respectful maternity care, and building and equipping birthing centers, WRA Nepal is making sure that the right to safe motherhood is upheld for all women in Nepal.
Challenge
Although abortion is legal in Nepal, unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal death. Many Nepali women continue to face barriers to obtaining safe and legal procedures, such as lack of services and trained providers, and gender norms that hinder women’s decision-making autonomy.
Solution
Expanding access to safe and legal abortion, especially in remote areas, through establishing safe abortion sites, and equipping them with a provider trained in medical abortion is key to preventing maternal deaths from unsafe abortions.
Current Campaigns
While abortion has been legal in Nepal for nearly 20 years, women still face challenges accessing abortion care, leading to preventable deaths. WRA Nepal, in partnership with Ipas Nepal, has established 15 safe abortion sites and conducted a 5-day medical abortion training for providers. WRA Nepal has trained more than 20 providers, expanding services to sites that were previously inoperative due to a lack of trained service providers. The Safe Abortion program currently has sites in Shankhuwasabha, Dadeldhura, Myagdi, Sunsari, Makwanpur, Mugu, Arghakanchi, Doti, Syangia, Rolpa, Terathum, Parbat, Ilam, Palpa, and Bjura.
Our Impact
In 2018, after more than a decade of dedicated advocacy from SMNF/WRA Nepal and multiple changes in governments – and just two years after the “Kathmandu Declaration” – Nepal’s House of Representatives unanimously passed the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act, 2018, explicitly protecting the health and rights of women, girls, adolescents and newborns. The legislation declared that all people have the right to access sexual, reproductive, and maternal health related information, counseling, and services. It represents the first time to WRA’s knowledge that respectful maternity care has been enshrined in national law anywhere in the world.
The April 25, 2015 Gorkha earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000 in Nepal. SMNF/WRA Nepal activated its vast network of affiliate organizations to aid in recovery efforts and, for the next six months, ensured mothers and newborns received the care they needed while advocating for the lasting improvements needed to guarantee safe motherhood during future natural disasters.
WRA Nepal News
Gallery
Thank you to our partners
ADRA Nepal
ADRA Japan
IPAS
USAID – Health Policy Project
The Government of Nepal
Contact Us
Rabindra Bahadur Pradhan
National Coordinator, WRA Nepal
As the National Coordinator and General Secretary of Safe Motherhood Network Federation (SMNF/WRA Nepal) Rabindra Bahadur Pradhan is involved in all activities and projects implemented by SMNF Nepal and WRA Nepal, which he joined in 2005. He previously served as a National Secretary General of Nepal Jaycees, one of the National Organization of (JCI) Junior Chamber International, a non-profit international non-governmental organization of young people.
He mobilizes youth and communities in Kirtipur for social change. He loves facilitating programs and events at the community, national and global level. He carefully and efficiently orchestrated a successful opening ceremony of WRA Global meeting which was held at Kathmandu in 2017, with participation from Nepal's Prime Minister, the First Lady, representatives from the Ministry of Health, and other high-level individuals. During this ceremony he acted as the event moderator.
In addition to his voluntary work advocating for safe motherhood, he is involved in many business organizations. He received EMBA from Himalayan WhiteHouse Int'l College, Purbanchal University and he is the chief of District Lions Leadership Institute of Lions Clubs International, District 325 A2 Nepal.
Click image for bio