Grant: Project Grant

Access to sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) is often limited in resource scarce environments, such as West African countries. Head porters are one of the most vulnerable group of people in urban centers in Ghana. Commonly, head porters are women in their childbearing age. Access to SRHS is a human right and a major problem for head porters, which negatively affects their physical, psychological, sexual, and socioeconomic health and wellbeing. Access to SRHS is further affected by the recurring epidemics and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Fear, reduced income, disrupted transport keep women away from SRHS. Further, constrained by financial and other resources, e.g., infrastructure and a well-functioning health system, access to basic and fundamental services, especially SRHS, are limited, for this vulnerable and socioeconomically disadvantaged group. There is an urgent need for interventions to improve access and utilization of SRHS for head porters in markets in Ghana. Goal: Develop and test a service delivery intervention to improve access and utilization of SRHS for head porters in Ghanaian markets. We are proposing a multiphase study. Phase 1: Assess the current knowledge related to access to SRHS of head porters working in markets in Ghana, using different methods to generate a comprehensive set of information. It will include a literature review, policy and document analysis, and community assessment of available SRHS. Phase 2: Explore the needs and challenges experienced by different participants to access and/or deliver SRHS to head porters. Phase 3: Sharing of knowledge and the development of the SRHS delivery intervention, using participatory approaches. Phase 4: Implement and test the study to examine the feasibility of the intervention(s) as well as undertake introductory work for a larger study.