USAID will reach over 400,000 Malawians with new family planning program
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a $2,500,000 (about one billion Malawi Kwacha) three-year award to Adventist Health Services (AHS) to train health care workers and expand provision of family planning services in four districts.
The project will be implemented from June 2014 through June 2017.
The “Reaching out with contraceptive choice in Malawi” project will provide voluntary, comprehensive family planning services to women and men of reproductive age in the rural areas of Blantyre, Dedza, Rumphi and Mzimba districts.
During the implementation period, AHS will partner with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Women and Children First (WCF), a UK-based international NGO that has pioneered a community mobilisation approach which empowers communities through a Participatory Learning and Action Cycle (PLAC).
PLAC is a tool that is used to enhance community awareness of issues, come up with local solutions and monitor the progress of the program.
AHS will partner with the respective District Health Offices and help to train health care workers and Community Based Distribution Agents (CBDAs) to provide family planning services.
In Blantyre District, AHS will conduct mobile outreach services to provide long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods. In the other districts, clients will be referred to facilities to access contraception.
The project will target 272,271 women and 163,909 men of reproductive age with modern contraceptive methods.
USAID/Malawi Mission Director Doug Arbuckle commented, “USAID family planning and reproductive health activities strengthen the health system to deliver quality family planning services equitably, efficiently, and in a coordinated manner. Family planning is essential for Malawi’s sustainable future.”
