Knowledge SUCCESS last week announced four winners from a field of 80 contestants in "The Pitch," a global competition to find and fund creative knowledge management ideas for family planning.
For robust evidence-based decision making, data and statistics are essential. To ensure proper planning in reproductive health, the accuracy and availability of this data cannot be over emphasized. We spoke to Samuel Dupre, a statistician with the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Program, and Mitali Sen, the International Program’s Chief of Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, who shed light on how the U.S. Census Bureau is supporting data collection on reproductive health.
FHI 360’s Catherine Packer shares a personal perspective on DMPA-SC’s past ten years, from early research to recent workshops. Since its introduction—and particularly since it became available for self-injection—DMPA-SC has become an important part of the global family planning and reproductive health landscape.
The chronicle of Malawi’s rapid, efficient introduction of self-injected subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC) into the method mix is a model of teamwork and coordination. Although this process typically takes about 10 years, Malawi achieved it in fewer than three. Self-injected DMPA-SC epitomizes the ideal of self-care by empowering women to learn how to inject themselves, and has the added benefit of helping clients avoid busy clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Young leaders can be a powerful force for change, and they can be even more effective when they have access to seasoned allies. USAID's Health Policy Plus (HP+) shares insights from an intergenerational mentoring program in Malawi. Young leaders receive the support they need to engage village, district, and national stakeholders to deliver on the promises surrounding youth-friendly health services (YFHS) and ending early marriage.
This article explores recent research on the extent that family planning has been incorporated into HIV services in Malawi and discusses implementation challenges throughout the world.