6 myths about the morning after pill debunked
Get those facts straight once and for all… You know what it’s for, but do you know how the morning after pill actually works? A new survey launched by ellaOne, the most effective* morning after pill, revealed that 59% of 1,027 18- to 35-year-olds did not know that the morning after pill works by delaying […]
The Ouagadougou Partnership in Francophone West Africa advances access to family planning for health and development
Sometimes innovation to spur social change arises in unexpected places. At a time of increased extremism and insecurity in West Africa, the remarkable story of a partnership to advance women’s health and empowerment through family planning is worthy of global attention. By tackling such challenges, the partnership provides hope for women, girls, and their communities […]
Ten Defining Family Planning Achievements of the Decade
The last 10 years has been a time of immense growth and innovation for the family planning community, as well as new challenges and opportunities. Here, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs-led Knowledge SUCCESS project reflects on 10 defining achievements, in no particular order of importance, that have shaped and continue to inform family planning programs […]
Burkina Faso: Historic day for advancing sexual and reproductive health rights
The 1st June promises to be an historic day for advancing sexual and reproductive health rights in Burkina Faso. From that day onwards, the government has committed to provide free family planning services, including contraceptives and medical consultations, f. This is a long overdue but very positive decision which Amnesty International has been calling for […]
In Sahel: Family planning meets climate change
Niger and other countries in the Sahel region of Africa are facing a brutal combination of the highest population growth rates in the world and the devastating effects of climate change – a combination that spells disaster. Some scientists now say family planning might help in providing some relief on both issues. “Here in Niger, […]
Melinda Gates battles to promote contraception in Burkina Faso.
By 2050, Africa’s population is projected to double to 2.5 billion. By 2100, the UN estimates it could easily top 4 billion. Which is why Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill, is visiting Burkina Faso. Like other west African nations, the landlocked country has a rapidly growing population and Gates is […]
A New Year, a New Determination: Energizing the Movement and Accelerating Progress
The Ouagadougou Partnership Six Years in Five years ago, in early December 2012, the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (OPCU) was established. Last month in Conakry, Guinea, more than 350 participants from the across the francophone Africa region, Europe, and the U.S. met to assess progress of family planning in the partnership’s nine member countries.[1] Over the […]
Senegal has practically eliminated contraceptive shortages. Here’s how
Antoinette Tine of Senegal recalls a time not so long ago when she would go to her local health clinic for contraception, only to leave empty handed because the product she wanted wasn’t available. “They’d tell me to return within a week, and I’d feel stressed, because it put me at risk of getting pregnant […]
Contraception in Ouagadougou Partnership countries
In 2016, there were 4,720,000 women using modern contraceptive methods in the 9 Francophone countries of West Africa. This represents an increase of 1,306,000 additional modern contraception methods users since 2011. As a result of this level of contraceptive use, 1,167,000 pregnancies, 374,000 unsafe abortions and 4,300 maternal deaths were avoided. There are many reasons […]
Let’s Not Be Squeamish About Family Planning’s Fiscal Benefits
Copyright IntraHealth International 2015 So often when we sing the praises of family planning, we go straight to applauding its health benefits: all the healthier babies and children, the hundreds of thousands of women who survive childbirth, and the millions of abortions prevented. Family planning has changed the world for us all over the past […]