Caroline Tatua

I am a Medical Doctor and Public health specialist with a passion for women and girls’ sexual reproductive health and rights. I have experience in sexual and reproductive health and rights programming, advocacy, and health systems strengthening in development and more recently humanitarian settings. I have worked regionally in Africa supporting healthcare delivery, capacity building, and advocating for rights for women and girls by creating awareness among healthcare workers and the community.

I have particular interests in adolescent SRH, gender equality, putting policy into practice, evidence-based programming, and social norm change. I am also an avid advocate for ending unsafe abortion and have contributed to various policy development and health workforce capacity strengthening efforts across the African continent.

My journey began when I was a medical doctor – providing services to women and girls and observing stigmatizing behavior when services were deemed by society and individual providers as “morally unacceptable- e.g. denial of contraception to young unmarried ladies, or school-going children who knew their risks and what they wanted, denial of abortion care and the stigma one experienced when seeking abortion care, request for husband consent for SRH services even when women and girls had already made up their minds. I chose to be different and not follow the norm at some point as a person in a position to help and as a woman.

I currently lead programs for improved access to equitable and integrated family planning, strengthening the public sector for comprehensive primary health delivery, and SRH policy advocacy in humanitarian settings in the horn and East Africa region at the International Rescue Committee.