Achievements

Our members are achieving great things for the patients they represent... right around the world.

Backed by the strength of the iCSi community and with the support and information sharing of fellow members around the world, here is just a sample of hte good work going on every day in protecting the rights of patients accessing reproductive treatment.

Would you like to showcase the achievements of your patient organisation? Simply email David Rawlings at [email protected] and we will upload them here.

The Rwanda visit was an invitation from Dr Nathalie Dhont on behalf of Rwanda Women Fertility Support Group (RWAFSA). This is a small group of infertile women based in Kigali, Rwanda.

They invited Joyce Fertility Support Centre Uganda to:

1. Share on how JFSCU'S managed to break the silence about infertility in Uganda.
2. Share its experience and best practices in all the work it has done including achievements and challenges faced
3. Show RWAFSA how we have managed to overcome the challenges even with minimum funds, right a way from the start in 1998
4. Show them on the best way to Engage with government, health providers, communities, media, and international partners.

Joyce Fertility Support Centre presented to them our strategy of support groups where by members are educated more about infertility. In this group they share testimonies, experiences to create a stronger voice.

We also showed them that creating a relationship with health workers it's important because patients need medical help. Infertility in Africa is ignored due to many reasons such as the high fertility rates and many myths.

The relationship between the two parties helps a lot and it's through this that some have achieved their goals.

Our colleague Estela Chardon has recently co-ordinated a protest involving three patient organisations. The December 7 walk involved members from Concebir, Sumate a Dar Vida and Abrazo Por Dar Vida walking in front of the house of government with empty baby strollers.

Images from the walk can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlLS-C-eU0U.

** UPDATE: our Argentinian colleagues have had great success in making ART more accessible in their country. More information here.

Our colleagues in Italy have been working hard to not only support couples but also educate the community and 'fight' the taboo of infertility:

"We have worked since the beginning to fight the taboo of infertility that in italy is still heavy and brings couples to be ashamed of their problem. We have organized events in order to help couples "come out" with their faces and not only with a nick name or a telephone call.

We are organizing an educational campaign among young people in high schools in order to promote prevention culture and give them the right knowledge about fertility using young people's "language".

Since 2006 we have run the first and only free Italian helpline dedicated to infertility, together with the Milano Provincial Government through which we reached around 4000 infertile persons.

Together with Hera onlus - and thank you to some brave infertile couples defended by our lawyers - we had success with the Italian Constitutional Court declaring key articles of Law 40/2004 on ART against constitution itself and changed the law on those points ( art. 14, 2° and 3°, judgement 151/2009)."

Our colleagues in Israel have recently held two events to help support their members but also raise awareness and education about infertility.

1. A cooking workshop was held for couples in order to create a support group overcome the taboo, shyness as well as the shame of infertility in Israel. They have held eight four-hour meetings, where couples were able to cook with a leading chef in Israel. It has been a wonderful way for people to share their stories with people who are in a similar situation.
2. The Football Cup has been held with four teams of children age 10 years old. The teams represented all religions in Israel: Jews, Muslims and Christians. This year it took place in the northern Israeli Arabic village of Raina. Importantly, a lecture to high schools pupils also took place as well to teach them about infertility treatments and protecting - prevention of their fertility.