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Inside the FP Story’s Third Season Launches

Season 3 Discusses Gender and Family Planning


The Inside the FP Story podcast explores the fundamentals of designing and implementing family planning programming. Season 3 is brought to you by Knowledge SUCCESS, Breakthrough ACTION, and the USAID Interagency Gender Working Group. It will explore how to approach gender integration in family planning programs—including reproductive empowerment, gender-based violence prevention and response, and male engagement. Over three episodes, you will hear from a variety of guests as they offer practical examples and specific guidance on integrating gender awareness and equality within their family planning programs.

Inside the FP Story Season 3

Click here to access season 3 audio and transcripts.

Inside the FP Story is a podcast with and for the global family planning workforce. Each season, we publish honest and open conversations with family planning practitioners and researchers from around the world as they share their experiences and expertise.

We may have access to guidelines, models, and frameworks that help us understand how family planning and gender equality intersect. But to truly address gender inequality in our policies and programs, we need real-world examples.

For Season 3, we spoke with family planning practitioners and researchers who actively integrate gender awareness and equality into family planning programming across diverse country contexts. We will hear examples of their programs––including what works, what does not work, and what is needed to promote and achieve gender-transformative change.

In this season, we will define key terminology regarding gender integration and family planning—for example, what does “gender transformative programming” mean? Our first episode will discuss reproductive empowerment and the importance of making sure that family planning programs support individuals’ ability to make their own decisions about their reproductive lives. The second episode will delve into the intersections of gender-based violence (GBV) and family planning, with examples and recommendations for programs. Finally, our last episode will explore the topic of male engagement in family planning. We will hear from program managers about meeting men and boys where they are—whether on the football field or at a taxi stand—and the importance of male engagement in support of gender equality.

Tune in every Wednesday, from April 20 through May 4, as we illuminate how to integrate gender in family planning programs and offer concrete examples of gender-transformative programs.

Inside the FP Story is available on the Knowledge SUCCESS website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. You can also find relevant tools and resources, along with French transcripts of each episode, at KnowledgeSUCCESS.org.

Sarah V. Harlan

Partnerships Team Lead, Knowledge SUCCESS, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Sarah V. Harlan, MPH, has been a champion of global reproductive health and family planning for more than two decades. She is currently the partnerships team lead for the Knowledge SUCCESS project at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. Her particular technical interests include Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) and increasing access to longer-acting contraceptive methods. She leads the Inside the FP Story podcast and was a co-founder of the Family Planning Voices storytelling initiative (2015-2020). She is also a co-author of several how-to guides, including Building Better Programs: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Knowledge Management in Global Health.

Natalie Apcar

Program Officer II, KM & Communications, Knowledge SUCCESS

Natalie Apcar is a Program Officer II at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, supporting knowledge management partnership activities, content creation, and communications for Knowledge SUCCESS. Natalie has worked for a variety of nonprofits and built a background in planning, implementation, and monitoring of public health programming, including gender integration. Other interests include youth and community-led development, which she got the chance to engage in as US Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. Natalie earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from American University and a Master of Science in Gender, Development, and Globalization from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Danette Wilkins

Program Officer, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Danette Wilkins (she/they) is a Program Officer with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and a member of the Population and Reproductive Health team for Breakthrough ACTION, USAID’s flagship social and behavior change program. In their current role, they provide technical assistance and support to Breakthrough ACTION colleagues and partners across the areas of family planning, gender-based violence, men’s and boys’ engagement, provider behavior change, health equity, social determinants of health, and gender mainstreaming and integration.

Joy Cunningham

Director, Research Utilization Division, Global Health, Population and Nutrition, FHI 360

Joy Cunningham is the Director of the Research Utilization Division within Global Health, Population and Nutrition at FHI 360. Joy leads a dynamic team that works to advance evidence use globally by engaging with donors, stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers. She is a co-chair of USAID’s Interagency Gender Working Group GBV Task Force and has a technical background in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and gender integration.

Reana Thomas

Technical Officer, Global Health, Population and Nutrition, FHI 360

Reana Thomas, MPH, is a Technical Officer in the Global Health, Population, and Research department at FHI 360. In her role, she contributes to project development and design and knowledge management and dissemination. Her areas of specialization include research utilization, equity, gender, and youth health and development.