“I’m not a great supporter of aid in Africa. I’m much keener on getting things done on the ground through small and effective organisations. CHASE Africa is one of those. They have small overheads and a great mission. Tackling family planning, particularly in conservation areas, has a multitude of benefits for individuals, communities and the environment. In 2018 I became a Trustee.
The main focus of our work is enabling women to choose the number and spacing of their children, giving them a chance to leave poverty behind and reduce the impacts of a rapidly rising population, in conservation areas.
What’s really exciting about the CHASE approach is that although they’re a small organisation, they’re having a big impact. Working with selected partners on the ground, they’ve been able to transform the lives of thousands of people, through the health clinics they’ve funded, as well as carrying out forest restoration work and tree planting on unused land at over 130 schools.
In relation to family planning, CHASE are spreading the message about why a growing population can cause real problems for communities and the environment. Even more important is that they’re giving people access to hormonal contraceptives, in remote and inaccessible areas.
Key benefits from CHASE’s work include:
➢ Empowering women:Giving women the ability to plan the size and spacing of their families so they can pursue meaningful work, improve their health and make plans for their future.
➢ Reducing poverty: Having smaller families means parents can afford food and education for their children, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty.
➢ More girls in school: Fewer girls drop out of school on account of unwanted pregnancies.
➢ Less pressure on natural resources: Smaller families need less land and food and resources can be shared more equitably.
➢ Protected wildlife: Communities are more likely to protect wildlife, if they don’t see them as competition for vital food and water.
➢ Plentiful water: With reduced demand for water, the sources can be replenished before running dry.
➢ Land restoration: Degraded environments are given time to recover
➢ Fewer abortions: Numbers of unskilled abortions and infanticides due to unwanted pregnancies decline. East Africa has the highest unskilled abortion rate per capita in the world.
➢ Child/infant mortality declines: Children born three to five years apart are 2.5 times more likely to survive than children born two years apart.
➢ Harmony: If there is enough land to support the local population, there will be less human conflict.
Click here if you’d like to support CHASE’s work – the more donations we get, the more we can do…
