In Six Francophone West African Cities, Mayors Are Serious about Investing in Family Planning

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, is one of the cities now committing its own resources to launch new family planning and reproductive health activities. Photo by Trevor Snapp for IntraHealth International.September 24, 2018en fran çaisIn francophone West Africa, a new method of addressing family planning is taking hold as mayors become more engaged in planning for their communities ’ health and economic development goals. In the last 18 months, mayors and local officials from six cities in four countries have begun reproductive health initiatives thanks to guidance and funding fromthe Challenge Initiative (TCI).In a region where increases in the use of modern contraception have been persistently sluggish, IntraHealth International is implementing TCI and focusing its efforts on areas where exponential progress is most likely: urban environments. About half of the people in the region live in cities.Some countries in francophone West Africa still have contraceptive rates in the single digits and are home to some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the world. But Senegal and Burkina Faso have made unprecedented progress in the last ten years, and other countries are finally making headway. Global and regional efforts such asFP2020 and theOuagadougou Partnership have worked at different levels to align donor investments, identify the greatest needs among countries, and garner domestic political will and momentum for family planning throughout the region.TCI Accelerator Hubs  ...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news