383,000 Women in Francophone West Africa Started Using Modern Contraception in 2017

A client receives a contraceptive implant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photo by Trevor Snapp for IntraHealth International.January 31, 2018In 2017, the nine countries of theOuagadougou Partnership together prevented 100,000 unintended pregnancies, 32,000 unsafe abortions, and 400 maternal deaths in francophone West Africa by bringing modern contraceptives to over 383,000 new users. In two years, the partnership has reached 41% of its goal of an additional 2.2 million women in the region using contraceptives by 2020.Burkina Faso and Cote d ’Ivoire are leading the way, reporting last month at the partnership’sannual meeting in Conakry, Guinea, that they added 73,000 and 88,000 women respectively in 2017, surpassing their expected contributions.West Africa has suffered historically from persistently low contraceptive prevalence rates, largely due to socio-cultural barriers, weak health systems, limited political will, and a lack of resources.The Ouagadougou Partnership formed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in February 2011 among the governments of nine francophone West African countries, their technical partners, anddonors to accelerate the use of family planning services in the region. The countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, C ôte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.We are all driven by the same ideals and aspirations, those of: reducing maternal mortality, promoting the development of women and girls, guaranteeing the success of our youth, an...

Source: IntraHealth International - January 31, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: intrahealth Source Type: news