Author:
Sarah Kosgei
The role of patriarchy in South Sudan was clear when Maper Village community chiefs and members resisted male midwives being deployed to Aweil Hospital's Maternity Ward. To combat the stigma, the South Sudan Nurses and Midwives Association (SSNAMA) piloted the “Safe Motherhood Campaign” for community engagement. They addressed misconceptions about maternal health care, helping to change attitudes about male midwives and nurses.
Knowledge Management Champions play an important role in change management for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) programs. Also known as KM Champions, Knowledge Activists, or Knowledge Coordinators, they are not knowledge managers but part-time volunteer knowledge change agents—facilitating knowledge acquisitions from knowledge innovators and enabling the sharing and effective utilization of such knowledge.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disordered the livelihoods of adolescents and young people across Uganda’s communities in many ways. With the first COVID-19 wave in March 2020 came the adoption of containment measures, such as the closure of schools, movement restrictions, and self-isolation. As a result, the health and well-being of young people, especially adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) in Uganda, took a hit.
Health care systems across the globe have always been based on a provider-to-client model. However, the introduction of new technology and products, and the increasing ease of access to information, has caused a shift in how health services can be delivered—placing clients at the center of health care. Various health areas, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), have embraced self-care interventions. These methods increase access to and use of essential health services. This is especially important as health care systems become increasingly overburdened, coupled with the urgency to respond to individuals’ and communities’ SRHR needs across all life stages.
The Uzazi Uzima Project's work to build the capacity of healthcare workers to provide high-quality services has improved access to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services—including family planning—in northern Tanzania's Simiyu Region.
The integration of voluntary family planning and reproductive health care (FP/RH) with HIV service provision ensures FP information and services are made available to women and couples living with HIV without discrimination. Our partners at Amref Health Africa discuss the challenges of effectively addressing FP needs for vulnerable clients living in informal settlements and slum areas, and offer recommendations for reinforcing FP and HIV integration.
Our colleagues at Amref share how the Tunza Mama network improves the socio-economic status of midwives while positively impacting the health indicators of mothers and children in Kenya.
Youth and adolescents need special consideration. This article articulates the important role of decision makers and technical advisors in enhancing access to RH services by youth during COVID-19.
Listen to “Inside the FP Story”
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and listen in on honest conversations with family planning program experts around the world as they share what has worked in their settings — and what to avoid — in our podcast series, Inside the FP Story.
Click on the image above to visit the podcast page or on your preferred provider below to listen to Inside the FP Story.
