2003-37626

Win-Win Innovation

  University of Nairobi                  Kenya

The Win-Win innovation assesses unproven herbal decoctions provided for abortion by traditional herbalists in Kenya to discover novel molecules that can potentially be developed into a next generation pregnancy termination medication. These herbal remedies, decoctions and their molecules, will be tested for their ability to induce safe abortion using an array of scientific methods, while comparing them to the performance of current abortion medications. To complement laboratory research, a behaviour change communication intervention will be implemented to educate women and girls in rural Kenya about the risks of using these decoctions while steering them towards safe and legal abortion care services. Herbalists are also sensitized to the potential harmful effects of their products and the need to refer clients to evidence-based abortion care.