The 2011 Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted by UNICEF indicates that low adoption of Family Planning (FP) methods contributes to up to 25 per cent of newborn deaths in the country.

Although Ghana has long prioritised Family Planning (FP) as a key strategy for addressing the country’s health, social and economic issues, uptake of the service is still very low.

Stakeholders working to promote FP in Ghana have over the years attributed parts of the low uptake of FP services in the country to lack of education and interest.

Many awareness campaigns have been carried out across the various parts of the country by FP stakeholders as part of efforts to educate people on the benefits of the FP services. 

To boost the national efforts in disseminating information on FP to the people of Kasena Nankana West District in the Upper East Region, a couple in the Basengo community in the district have taken it upon themselves to educate residents in the area on the need to adopt FP services.

The couple, Mr Asaane Asansiba and Madam Asansiba Akanborige campaign against community stigmatization and criminalization of FP to improve maternal and newborn health in Kasena Nankana West District.

Mr. Asaane Asansiba and Madam Asansiba Akanborige, who were themselves stigmatized for using FP services, believe that many people have negative perceptions about FP due to lack of education.

The couple has vowed to ensure that no woman or man from their community is stigmatized or criminalized anymore for seeking and using FP services. 

Madam Akanborige argues that effective birth spacing is good for all and the earlier the better, expressing the wish that she and her husband should even have embraced it earlier so they could have spoken against the barriers anywhere. 

For Mr Asaane Asansiba, their mission to promote the adoption of FP services in their community is yielding good results as many people are now buying into their idea.

The Executive Director of the Rural Initiative and Self Empowerment Ghana (RISE-Ghana), an NGO, Mr Awal Kariama, said "confidence and interest in FP among women and men is increasing following a reduction in stigma and criminalization of the practice in the community".

According to him, many of the people in the Basengo community now openly discuss the subject in a receptive manner.

He said in order to sustain the interest of the people in FP services, Local Champions have been identified to carry out education campaigns in the district.

Mr Kariama said many community stakeholders have been empowered through advocacy fora, durbars and focus group discussions on the importance of FP in the district.