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Haz click aquí para leer esta historia en español. On January 15, le Planning Familial, IPPF’s affiliate in Guadeloupe, inaugurated the first solidarity shop dedicated to menstrual health and the care of women and infants in Pointe-à-Pitre. The opening of this space responds to an increasingly visible reality: the rise of menstrual poverty and the barriers that women and young people face in accessing basic hygiene products. In recent years, Planning’s social workers have observed a steady increase in needs related not only to menstrual health, but also to access to essential items for personal care and infant wellbeing. “Women are gradually breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation and denouncing the social, economic, health, and personal challenges linked to menstrual poverty,” said Carol Borel, Director of the Planning Familial de Guadeloupe. “When a woman has to choose between buying menstrual products and meeting other basic needs, she is putting her health at risk.” Located at the Rago Family Planning Centre, the shop aims to provide a concrete and sustainable response over time. There, users will be able to access a wide range of menstrual hygiene products at reduced prices, within a safe and trusted environment that is already part of their regular visits for medical check-ups, screenings, or sexual and reproductive health counselling. The space will also be open to students and young women, who often face tight budgets and must prioritize daily expenses. The initiative was born precisely from listening to these needs, with the goal of offering not temporary solutions, but ongoing support that contributes to ensuring dignity and wellbeing. With this opening, the Planning Familial de Guadeloupe reaffirms its commitment to equitable access to health and to the comprehensive support of women and people with the capacity to gestate, promoting community-based responses to structural inequalities that continue to limit the full exercise of their rights.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation Americas and the Caribbean proudly welcome two New Member Associations in Guadeloupe and Bolivia!  Association Guadeloupéenne pour le Planning Familial (AGPF) and Colectivo Rebeldía join the IPPF family, which spans 30 countries across the Americas and Caribbean region and over 120 countries around the world, Together we stand united in the fight for Reproductive Justice for ALL.  Formed in 1965, today the Association Guadeloupéenne pour le Planning Familial (AGPF), also known as La Maternite Consciente, oversees maternal and child welfare, and manages immunization, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS programmes. It also monitors other work and needs related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). It operates 5 clinics, which provide contraceptive services, emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, pap smears, STI screening and pre- and post-abortion counselling. AGPF also delivers outreach educational services on contraception and SRH in Creole, to promote the use of clinical services, particularly among migrants from neighbouring islands such as Dominca, Haiti and St.Lucia, who frequently wish to use SRH services but are unable to pay. The organization has been an affiliate member of IPPF through The Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA) for many years, and became a full Member Association in November 2022. Colectivo Rebeldía began its activities in March 1995. A group of feminist women articulated to, from our rebellions, influence and broaden the impact of the dreams of dignity and full life for women. Their mission - from critical and purposeful rebellion, recreates feminisms through sexual freedoms, knowledge, dialogues and knowledge together with empowered women and organizations, transforming society, the economy and politics to live well. As they celebrate their second decade, Colectivo Rebeldía remain a powerful front for the women's and feminist movement at a local and national level in Bolivia. And a consistent institution in its fight for the exercise of women's rights and social justice. Colectivo became a Member Association of IPPF in November 2022.