This case study describes the health response provided by the Ministry of Health of Nepal with support from UN agencies and several other organisations, to the 1.4 million women and adolescent girls affected by the major earthquake that struck Nepal in April 2015. After a post-disaster needs assessment, the response was provided to cater for the identified sexual and reproductive health (RH) needs, following the guidance of the Minimum Initial Service Package for RH developed by the global Inter-Agency Working Group. We describe the initiatives implemented to resume RH services: the distribution of medical camp kits, the deployment of nurses with birth attendance skills, the organisation of outreach RH camps, the provision of emergency RH kits and midwifery kits to health facilities and the psychosocial counselling support provided to maternity health workers. We also describe how shelter and transition homes were established for pregnant and post-partum mothers and their newborns, the distribution of dignity kits, of motivational kits for affected women and girls and female community health volunteers. We report on the establishment of female-friendly spaces near health facilities to offer a multisectoral response to gender-based violence, the setting up of adolescent-friendly service corners in outreach RH camps, the development of a menstrual health and hygiene management programme and the linkages established between adolescent-friendly information corners of schools and adolescent-friendly service centres in health facilities. Finally, we outline the gaps, challenges and lessons learned and suggest recommendations for preparedness and response interventions for future disasters.

The present study strengthened previous findings regarding the uptake of EIs following joint promotion by HCPAs in low-income settings.

Introduction Globally, 2.6 million stillbirths occur each year. Empowering women can improve their overall reproductive health and help reduce stillbirths. Women empowerment has been defined as women's ability to make choices in economic decision-making, household and health care decision-making. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate if women's empowerment is associated with stillbirths. Methods Data from 2016 Nepal Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) were analysed to evaluate the association between women's empowerment and stillbirths. Equiplots were generated to assess the distribution of stillbirths by wealth quintile,

Kisika F. Where do the rural poor deliver when high coverage of health facility delivery is achieved? Findings from a community and hospital survey in Tanzania. PLoS One 2014; 9: e113995. 5Fogliati P, Straneo M, Brogi C, et al. How can childbirth care for the rural poor be improved? A contribution from spatial modelling in rural Tanzania.