E2A at ICFP: January 28, 2016

On the final day of the International Conference on Family Planning in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, speakers pushed for access to a wide range of contraceptive options to address the toughest development challenges and meet international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals and FP2020 pledges.

For Sustainable Development Goal 3, the family planning movement has proposed that countries should aim to ensure that 75 percent of all women who wish to avoid pregnancy are using a modern contraceptive method.

And in an ambitious pledge, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) announced that it will aim to reach 60 million new users of family planning by 2020. “The recent FP2020 performance report highlighted that more action is urgently needed and that millions of women are missing out. Donors need to increase their commitments to family planning and we hope our ambitious pledge today will encourage others to act," said Tewodros Melesse, IPPF’s Director General.

Reaching millions more women and girls with contraception will require innovative approaches to expand contraceptive access and options, enhanced investments in family planning, and strong local, national, regional, and global partnerships. It will require that previously underserved population groups are reached with quality family planning services that meet their individual needs.

First-time parents—young women under the age of 25 who are pregnant or already have one child, and their partners—are an example of one historically underserved population. During the final day of ICFP, Regina Benevides, E2A’s Senior Youth Advisor, discussed the essential elements to consider when designing sexual and reproductive health programs that will reach first-time parents with family planning services. She presented an Integrated Framework for First-Time Parents that E2A is developing. The framework can be used to indicate what kinds of programs are most appropriate for reaching first-time parents, considering: the context, desired outcomes, service package and strategies, and objectives for scale-up.

On the final day, Ana Jacinto of Pathfinder International presented another E2A-supported activity: an assessment of a community-based distribution program of Depo Medroxy Progesterone Acetate (DMPA) in two districts of Mozambique. The study showed that DMPA can be safely administered by two cadres of community health workers. Administration of DMPA by these community health workers increased access, particularly among first-time contraceptive users.

You can access the presentations here:

Setting the Stage for First-Time Parent Programming and Integrated Framework for First-Time Parents (by Regina Benevides)

Expanding Contraceptive Service Delivery: Community-based Distribution of Injectable Contraceptives through CHWs (by Ana Jacinto)

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