Ms. Anita Kouvahey-Eklu is the Deputy Country Director for Integrate Health in Togo. As an experienced medical provider and advocate, she has championed LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights and Universal Health Coverage for more than two decades.
After graduating from university as a physician’s assistant, Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu began her first job at a health center in Kouvé in the Yoto District. It was in this role that she developed a passion for delivering sexual and reproductive health services. “I saw that women had many problems, justice problems related to body autonomy. I saw the suffering of women. You can’t say no, you can’t say yes. You can only do what your husband asks. I think that is not right. I have the same rights as a man. If men are able to make decisions for themselves, then I should also be able to make decisions about my life.”
Her work in Yoto District led her to the Togolese Association for Family Well-being, a local affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. She spent over 20 years working with communities to reduce both maternal and child death rates and the prevalence of HIV/ AIDS. During this time, Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu successfully launched a reproductive health program, working closely with Community Health Workers for provision of family planning services for communities around the country. This was the first programme of its kind in Togo.
Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu has encountered girls as young as 15 with three children.“Some women don’t have the opportunity to use contraception, because the husband doesn’t agree. But if a woman doesn’t use contraceptives she is left with no opportunity. She is afraid, because the husband may beat her.”
In 2020, she joined Integrate Health as Deputy Country Director where she serves as the bridge between Integrate Health, the Togolese Ministry of Health, and other partners to achieve Universal Health Coverage. The achievement that makes her most proud is her position as health manager at the Togolese Association for Family Well-Being (ATBEF). Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu established a group for people living with HIV which is still functional and focuses on women, pregnant women and children. It provides screening, antiretrovirals and psycho-social support.
Her favorite work involves direct care of patients. “A person exposes their problems, and you manage to help them find a solution. Then they leave content and with a smile. That is satisfying.”
To challenge power imbalances and patriarchy in her country, Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu campaigns for a number of initiatives. She helps train policemen about abortions so they can provide information and support to women in need. She promotes a sex education program that starts from elementary school and runs through high school. She is a frequent TV and radio commentator, informing and educating the public about reproductive and sexual health. She advocates for more female Community Health Workers because she believes this is key to reaching the most vulnerable.
Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu sees it as the duty of health care workers to respect human dignity and provide social justice, putting the human being at the center of all services. She is discrete, inspiring and does not seek recognition.
Her ask of decision makers is to reform laws, improve the environment for women and children, create more and better functioning health centers and ensure services are available to those who are isolated by distance or affordability. Above all else, Ms. Kouvahey-Eklu believes that the community itself should be involved in decision-making”:
