Lake Victoria islets benefit from family planning services

A number of women listening to Usaid Boresha Afya Family Planning Technical Advisor, Dr Mayenga Ngassa as he speaks about the importance of using family planning methods in Ukerewe district. Recently Usaid Boresha Afya team paid a visit to some 20 health facilities in Ukerewe district where they reached approximately 600 women, men and young people with family planning education.

Mwanza. About 600 people in the lake and western zone have benefited from training on family planning provided to nurses.

The training was offered by three non-governmental organisations, namely Jhpiego, Engenderhealth and PATH under the Usaid financed Boresha Afya project being undertaken in the area.

According to the Ukerewe District Reproductive Child Health acting Coordinator, Ms Lucy Mirita, family planning services were on high demand in Islets where women are giving birth to a lot of children contributing population boom.

She noted that many famnilies in those areas have many children whom they cannot take care properly.

“In September, 2017, not less than 980 women gave birth in Ukerewe district, we are trying to counsel them whenever they come to hospital with their spouses and the response has being good so far,” she said.

Elaborating, she noted that in the last three months of implementation, 1,236 women in the area opted for long term family planning methods including Intra Uterine Device (IUD) that lasts for five to twelve years and the implant that lasts for three to five years while 2,043 women decided to use short term methods including injection, which lasts for three months and pills which they use on a daily basis.

The Usaid Deputy Chief of Party dealing with Boresha Afya Project, Dr Rita Noronha, said improving access to and availability of family planning as part of integrated RMNCH services in an important component of Usaid project in the lake zone. 

“In collaboration with the District Councils and through our committed and dedicated technical teams we bring FP education and services closer to the community focusing on hard to reach areas. Improving access to FP will enable women and young people to make informed choices over their reproductive plan and promote gender equality,” she said.

Eugenia Petro, 33, a mother of eight children who has benefited from the services says: “God has blessed me with eight children and I realised that it was enough. I can’t add another one due to the economic situation we have with my husband so we had to decide on this in-order to raise these kids well.”