Tag:
East and Central Africa
Massive improvements in our family planning (FP) supply chains in recent years have generated an expanded and more reliable method choice for women and girls around the world. But while we celebrate such success, one nagging issue that warrants attention is the corresponding equipment and consumable supplies, like gloves and forceps, necessary to administer these contraceptives: Are they also getting to where they’re needed, when needed? Current data—both documented and anecdotal—suggest that they aren’t. At the very least, gaps remain. Through a literature review, secondary analysis, and a series of workshops held in Ghana, Nepal, Uganda, and the United States, we sought to understand this situation and put forth solutions to ensure that reliable method choice is accessible to FP users around the world. This piece is based on a larger piece of work funded by the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Innovation Fund.
Connecting the Dots Between Evidence and Experience combines the latest evidence with implementation experiences to help technical advisors and program managers understand emerging trends in family planning and inform adaptations to their own programs. The inaugural edition focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on family planning in Africa and Asia.
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.
This piece summarizes a recent study by the USAID-funded Passages Project exploring social norms impacting the reproductive health of adolescent girls and young women in Burundi. We explore how the research findings can be applied in the design of reproductive health programs to identify and involve key influence groups that influence social norms.
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.
Working alongside family planning advocates, Jhpiego Kenya applied the nine-step SMART advocacy approach to engage stakeholders in the creation of a new pharmacist training package. The updated curriculum includes that includes instruction on providing contraceptive injectables DMPA-IM and DMPA-SC.
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.
Madagascar has remarkable biodiversity with 80% of its flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. While its economy is highly reliant on natural resources, significant unmet health and economic needs drive unsustainable practices. In the face of growing uncertainty—Madagascar is extremely susceptible to climate change—we spoke to Madagascar PHE Network Coordinator Nantenaina Tahiry Andriamalala about how early population, health, and environment (PHE) successes have led to a rich network of organizations working to address health and conservation needs in tandem.
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 East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda seem to have one common challenge in the implementation of family planning and reproductive health programs—knowledge management. The countries are rich in family planning and reproductive health knowledge, but such information is fragmented and not shared. To tackle the identified challenges, Knowledge SUCCESS mobilized family planning and reproductive health stakeholders in the region to address the knowledge management jigsaw puzzle.
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.
