FIRST

Indigenous Women Rising

FIRST

Honoring the First Voices in Reproductive Sovereignty by mapping connections and protecting health data.

Albuquerque, NM, USA

United States

Nonprofit

The current U.S. administration has enacted policies that severely restrict access to reproductive healthcare, both domestically and globally. From freezing Title X funding to reinstating and expanding the Global Gag Rule, these measures have created significant barriers to essential services. For Native American and Indigenous communities, the implications are particularly severe due to their unique political and legal status within the U.S. Indian Health Service (IHS), a treaty-guaranteed right for Native people both on and off reservations, remains critically underfunded, offering limited reproductive healthcare options. While maternity ward closures are a growing crisis nationwide, Native communities have faced this threat for decades—further exacerbating disproportionately high maternal mortality rates, worsening mental health disparities (including addiction disorders), and limiting access to vital services such as abortion care and breastfeeding support.

Indigenous Women Rising is developing an innovative, accessible solution to bridge gaps in reproductive healthcare access for Native communities. Our approach includes a dynamic, interactive map that connects users to essential services, with an offline-compatible version designed for those in areas with limited internet access ("Wi-Fi deserts") or facing the digital divide. To ensure sustainability and community ownership, the map will feature a user-friendly interface, allowing updates from individuals without prior mapping experience. Training will be provided in accessible, non-academic settings, empowering community members to contribute directly to this vital resource.

The target population is Native and Indigenous people in the United States. We are always working to make sure medically accurate information about various types of reproductive health care and the policies that impact access are easily readable and accessible. Because of the severe underfunding of Indian Health Services and K-12 education across the country, we want to use our platform to bridge the gap between accessing healthcare and education about what our rights are as Native peoples.