Tag:
Ghana
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.
A recent Global Health: Science and Practice (GHSP) article examined the use of fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) in Ghana to gain knowledge on women who use them to avoid pregnancy. Few studies in low- and middle-income countries have estimated the use of FABM. Understanding who is using these methods contributes to family planning/reproductive health program professionals’ ability to support women in choosing their preferred methods.
Providing women with containers for DMPA-subcutaneous (DMPA-SC) storage and sharps can help to encourage safe self-injection practices at home. Improper disposal in pit latrines or open spaces remains an implementation challenge to safely scaling this popular and highly effective method. With training from health providers and a provided puncture-proof container, self-injection clients enrolled in a pilot study in Ghana were able to appropriately store and dispose of DMPA-SC injectable contraceptives, offering lessons for scale-up.
On September 9, Knowledge SUCCESS & FP2020 hosted the fifth and final session in the first module of the Connecting Conversations series. Missed this session? The presentation slides are available to download at the end of this recap. Due to a computer error, only the French recording is available. Registration is now open for the second module, which focuses on critical and influential messenger’s in young people’s lives.
Ghanaian nonprofit Hen Mpoano implements and supports coastal and marine ecosystems governance projects and best practices. Tamar Abrams talks with Hen Mpoano's deputy director about a recent project that took a Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) approach, integrating the health of both the environment and those who live there.
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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.
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