Tag:
Uganda
In a variety of ways that suit their contexts, countries around the world have adapted international guidance on providing family planning care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracking the extent to which these new policies are successful in maintaining women’s access to safe, high-quality care will provide valuable lessons for responses to future public health emergencies.
FHI 360 developed and implemented a multicomponent mentoring program for ABYM (ages 15–24) called Young Emanzi. The program promotes positive gender norms, gender-equitable and healthy relationships, and economic productivity while also addressing the reproductive health needs of ABYM.
Donors and a small group of implementing partners are working to understand how to best support and involve drug shops as safe and reliable family planning providers. Expanding the broader community of family planning professionals’ understanding of the drug shop operators’ impact is going to be important for ensuring a supportive policy and programmatic environment for these providers.
Injectables are the most popular family planning method in Uganda but, until recently, were offered only by community health workers and at health facilities and hospitals. In contrast, the country’s 10,000 drug shops, which provide greater access in hard-to-reach rural areas, were authorized to supply only short-acting, nonprescription methods. FHI 360 supported the government of Uganda in training drug shop operators to offer injectables as well.
Studies have shown that men are highly influential in couples’ decisions about family planning (FP) and that their engagement in FP and other health services can be beneficial to their partners, their children, and themselves. However, in many countries, deeply embedded ideas about appropriate gender roles, as well as myths and misconceptions about FP, create barriers to men’s support for and participation in FP services.
USAID’s Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) project in Uganda implemented a multisectoral approach to family planning. What lessons from APC’s work can be applied to similar future efforts?
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.
