TED Invests Millions to Prevent 22.6M Unintended Pregnancies

Every single second of every day, somewhere in the world, someone ends a pregnancy using unsafe methods that could kill them.

That grim reality drives the work of Ipas, an international reproductive justice organization that just received a game-changing investment from TED's Audacious Project. The multi-million dollar grant will help expand access to safe abortion care and contraception across 10 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The numbers tell a staggering story. Each year, 121 million unintended pregnancies occur worldwide, nearly half of all pregnancies. Of those, 61% end in abortion, and nearly half of those abortions are unsafe, totaling 35 million people every year risking their lives.

Ipas CEO Anu Kumar says these tragic outcomes aren't inevitable. "We know how to prevent unsafe abortion," she told Good Good Good.

With this new funding, Ipas plans to focus on 10 high-need countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Mexico. The organization will expand access to medication abortion, distribute contraception, work to end stigma, and support communities facing intersecting challenges like climate injustice and gender-based violence.

The ambitious goal? Prevent 16.3 million unsafe abortions and 22.6 million unintended pregnancies by 2032. The organization aims to reduce unsafe abortion by 30% in these countries by 2040 and avert 39,000 maternal deaths.

The Ripple Effect

Beyond saving lives, this investment supports broader equality goals. When women and girls can control their own reproductive futures, they stay in school longer and participate more fully in economic and civic life.

Kumar emphasizes that Ipas's approach tackles systemic barriers through locally rooted solutions. They create pathways to quality care, advocate for policy changes, and work with communities to shift social norms around reproductive rights.

This marks a historic moment for The Audacious Project, which has invested $1.03 billion across 13 organizations working to solve humanity's biggest problems. Ipas is the first abortion-focused organization to receive funding since the initiative launched in 2018.

As government funding for international reproductive health dwindles, especially from the United States, philanthropic investments like this become crucial for maintaining global aid efforts. Kumar hopes this recognition encourages other partners and donors to join the work of ensuring every woman and girl can live a healthy, prosperous life.