My interview with Kyomuhangi Debra, a family planning client at an MSI clinic in Kampala was a team effort. We sat outside under the shade of the clinic’s awning, the clinic manager interpreting from English to Luganda for us, as Debra held her baby in her arms while her three-year old son disassembled my pens and played with the microphone. I felt a kinship with Debra―I had two young daughters back home in Chicago―and was grateful for her willingness to talk even though she was clearly busy.
Debra wanted to wait a few years before having another child. “I got my IUD six weeks after my youngest son was born…. It sounded like a nice option without many side effects,” she told me. I had done the same after my youngest daughter was born. “I’ve been having lower abdominal pain since I started using it,” she continued. “I will talk to my health provider and see what they recommend.”
Before I could help myself, I told her, “I had the same problem. The first few months were rough. But now the cramping has subsided. I’m glad I gave it time.” Debra nodded as the manager interpreted.
Later, the family planning provider came over as I was packing up my things. “I don’t know what you said to her, but before, she was thinking about having her IUD removed. After the interview, she decided to keep it and give it a little more time!”
Though Debra and I lived a world apart, that day we connected as two moms doing our best to care for ourselves and our young children. Two people whose family planning decisions―like those of many―are informed by the stories of people we trust: sisters, friends, colleagues, providers, influencers. As FP Voices showed, stories have the power to inform and to connect us, from a very personal level to a global level. Hearing so many of those stories firsthand was a great honor.
– Liz Futrell, Former Project Lead of Family Planning Voices