Health project increases family planning uptake in Nima, Maamobi
A Behaviour Change for Reproductive Health project, implemented in the Nima and Maamobi communities in Accra to help address the prevailing high rates of maternal morbidity, has resulted in a significant increase in the uptake of contraception in the area.
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The project, implemented from February 2011 to September 2013 by the Willows Foundation, Ghana, an international reproductive health-related organisation, resulted in an increase — from 10.7 per cent to 25.85 per cent — in the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) in the communities.
Objectives of the project
Mrs Valerie Gueye, the Programme Coordinator of Willows Foundation, at a dissemination meeting held in Accra, said the objective of the project was to increase women’s access to reproductive health information through community field educators.
In addition, she said, the project sought to increase the use of family planning (FP), access to quality and comprehensive abortion care services and to improve the capacity of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) to implement the Behaviour Change for Reproductive Health model
Profile of women under the community project
According to Mrs Gueye, 17,832 women were registered in the two communities, out of which 13,600 were visited and counselled.
She disclosed that 11 per cent of the women did not want more children, while 69 per cent wanted children later (after two years) and eight per cent reported induced abortion.
Achievement
Mrs Gueye said 2,481 new modern family planning method users were recorded at the end of the project.
Out of this number, 1,901 were short-term method users whereas 580 were long-term and permanent method users.
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Activities of the field educators, which involved community education, information and referral services, resulted in 2,746 63 effective reproductive health referrals to various health institutions in Accra.
Health institutions that provided services to the women were the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, La General Hospital, Ridge Hospital, Maamobi Hospital, Nima Government Clinic, Mallam Atta Government Clinic, Adabraka Polyclinic , 37 Military Hospital, Police Hospital, Marie Stopes International, and Salvation Army-Urban Aid.
The institutions collectively provided family planning services for 2,522 women, comprehensive abortion care (CAC) for 68 of them and 156 also benefited from other reproductive health services.
PPAG Executive Director
In an address at the dissemination meeting, Dr Catherine Dawson-Amoah, Executive Director of the PPAG, commended Willows Foundation for working to increase the CPR in the project area from 10.7 per cent to 25.85.
She noted that access to reproductive health and family planning services had been a challenge in Ghana in spite of the various interventions by successive governments and other actors, and cited the High Impact Rapid Delivery (HIRD) survey for 2008 which indicated that about 80 per cent of married women in Nima were not using any FP method.
Dr Dawson-Amoah said PPAG’s work with women in their reproductive age regarding counselling referrals for FP services had mostly been concentrated in their static clinics, “but with the support of Willows Foundation, Ghana PPAG has over the period provided quality family planning services to quite a significant percentage of women within the Nima and Maamobi communities.”
She stressed that the achievement represented a stronger call to deepen efforts and commitment.
A community leader, Chief Baba Issah, congratulated Willows Foundation for implementing a successful project.
He proposed that though the project had ended, a way must be found for the field educators to continue their activities in the communities, since they acquired lots of knowledge during the project period.
Willows Foundation presented various items to the peer educators and some community leaders in recognition of the role they played towards the success of the project.
Writer’s e-mail: rosemary.ardayfio@ graphic.com