ODAS is an innovative regional partnership mechanism dedicated to strengthening the safe abortion movement across French-speaking Africa. The ODAS Center provides technical and operational support to the safe abortion movement – offering training opportunities, sharing best practices, coordinating strategies and mobilizing funding – to equip partners and advocates to pursue an ambitious regional agenda to expand access to abortion in the Francophone African region. In addition, the ODAS Center offers networking opportunities with advocates committed to promoting safe abortion across francophone Africa and with the rest of the world.
The ODAS Center advocates a feminist approach
The ODAS Center values the diversity of the movement and recognizes the importance of inclusion and partnerships in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), particularly in the context of abortion.
Center ODAS supports the safe abortion movement in French-speaking Africa
The ODAS Center provides all the support needed to facilitate collaboration, sharing and learning, sustainable partnerships and access to resources. It encourages exchanges of experience and the learning of best practices, even in regions with seemingly restrictive environments for safe abortion.
Our areas of operation
Our history
A glaring observation
In 2018, given the worrying state of abortion rights and the exclusion of abortion rights and comprehensive abortion care from DSSR interventions in Francophone Africa, in Dakar, Senegal, a group of visionaries came together to answer the call for change. These individuals, reproductive health rights activists, public health experts, and members of local and international NGOs, were united by a common goal: to improve access to safe abortion and strengthen reproductive health rights.
At this meeting, a series of observations were made. There was a need to organize forums for capacity-building, to increase collaboration between actors campaigning for the right and access to safe abortion, to collect data and promote research, to invest in regional campaigns, and to involve donors in advancing sexual and reproductive health.
A bold idea
The following year, in December 2019, the first Dialogue pour l'Avortement Sécurisé was held in Cotonou, Benin. It was the first milestone in the evolution of the safe abortion movement in French-speaking Africa. The meeting brought together around 90 representatives from ministries of health, activists, local and international NGOs, and served as a forum to assess the abortion situation in the region. The discussions were rich in shared experiences, identified challenges and celebrated successes. At the end of the meeting, a bold idea emerged: the creation of a regional secretariat to coordinate actions in favor of safe abortion.
On the march for abortion rights
In 2021, after many years of reflection, planning and hard work, the ODAS Center (Organisation pour le Dialogue pour l'Avortement Sécurisé) was symbolically born on September 28, International Day for the Right to Safe Abortion. It was an historic milestone, marking a turning point in the fight for sexual and reproductive health rights in French-speaking Africa. The ODAS Center's mission is to provide technical and operational support to the ODAS movement, promoting dialogue, learning, capacity building, strategy coordination and fundraising.
A historic gathering
In 2022, the ODAS Center organized the second Dialogue Régional pour l'Avortement Sécurisé en Afrique Francophone (DASAF 2022) from October 24 to 26. It was a major event that brought together safe abortion champions from over 30 countries in Francophone Africa and around the world. The theme of the dialogue was "Resilience and adaptation: a strong movement for access to safe abortion in French-speaking Africa". The dialogue provided an opportunity to assess progress, continuing challenges and opportunities in the fight for sexual and reproductive health rights.
The story of the ODAS Center is one of constant evolution, of a dream come true, and of an ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of women and vulnerable people in French-speaking Africa. Each stage of this evolution has been marked by perseverance, solidarity and determination to advance a cause that is crucial to society. The ODAS Center is now an essential pillar in the fight for sexual and reproductive health rights.