Physical Health Uganda Project #10618

Healthy Families, Brighter Futures Family Planning

by Karin Community Initiatives Uganda

Project Report | Nov 11, 2014
Family planning

By Benna Aguti and Gloria Anena | Clinical Officers

visit to the clinic

Dear friends,

Family planning remains a big focus of service delivery for the health facility. Fertility is still high and there has been-a slow decline over the years. In this community child bearing starts early (39% of women aged 20-49 years give birth by 18 years & 63% by 20 years). And fertility decreases with increase in a woman`s education and wealth levels.

The UDHS 2011 reports states that 99% of women and 100% of men are knowledgeable about any modern Family Planning method. Most messages about family planning is disseminated through the radio, although this can be a challenge because not many people own radios in their homes. Statistics show that 34% of married women have unmet need for Family Planning.

In order to understand the status of the people seeking family planning services in the community, the outreach team carried out a research to see how best we can address the high fertility rates in the community. Our research shows that most households use communal wells that are unprotected for their source of water, most households live in mud and wattle homes. Most households have an average income/expenditure income of less than 4000/= per day. This means that type of clients that are not highly educated and thus cannot read billboard messages that are displayed on the highway roads.

When 15 years old Pi-Tic Enulce walked into the clinic for family planning services the health staff assigned to her realized how much information is still needed out in the community about contraceptives. The UDHS 2011 asserts that the unmet need for family planning is 41% in Uganda. With the support we have received from donors like yourselves, we are increasing the outreaches that we conduct.

We want to thank you all for the support that have made all of our work possible. Northern Uganda is still one of the most challenging places in the world for many households, and we need you to recruit more support for our cause. When potential supporters hear us talking about why they should make a donation today, they listen. But when your friends and family hear you talk about our work as someone who is already a supporter and knows that we are making a difference, they’ll act.

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Aug 25, 2014
family planning services

By Benna Aguti and Gloria Anena | Clinical Officers

min latin

My name is Aceng Harriet, a wife and a mother of 5, I live in Cet Kana village. I used to give birth every year and this caused me to have misunderstandings with my husband because I had to give attention to the children, it was very stressful for me. I even lost weight and was always ill and looked very bad, I was tired all the time because of the household chores and taking care of children who are slightly the same age. However this all changed after the information I received on family planning, this was all because our village health team member and Karin Medical Centre initiatives in our village.

I came to learn about family planning through a VHT called Ogwang Robert who enrolled me under the Karin Medical Centre mother’s cohort, by then I was pregnant with my baby who is now 2 years. I received information during the sensitization sessions at the health centre where we were they educated us on on family planning ranging from methods to advantages of family planning.

When the VHT visited my village he encourgaed us to visit the health centre, they also educated us and gave us information on antenatal care, care of a new born baby and after birth I started receiving messages on family planning. This motivated me to attend the sessions on family planning at the Health centre because I wanted to learn more from the health worker. The most important topic that has been part of my life since then is family planning; I remember this topic was introduced when I was 7 months pregnant. At this particular time I was having problems with my husband and therefore it came timely. I was excited to learn more about family planning because of so many myths that I heard from my friends, this was my time to know the truth.

When the day for the session came that day I kept time and was one of the first 5, the health worker took us through the different family planning methods and important through the side effects of each. Till today I am glad I attended this session because I was able to learn all I wanted too and this was the day I took my decision of using a family planning method. After I had my baby I told the nurse that after 6 weeks I will be receiving my family planning method, she asked me which and then I told her I wanted a long term method. To date my husband came back home and we are living happily and taking care of our children, I have actually noticed that my last child is much healthier than others were at that age I think it’s because am not pregnant and therefore giving her attention and more care. I thank Karin Medical Centre for sensitizing us and all its initiatives because it’s through them that my family has reunited and am happy.

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May 19, 2014
encouraging couples to come together

By Hope Okeny | Encouraging couples to come together

Grace and Ronald

I am happy to share with you what Karin Health Centres are doing in their endeavours to transform lives in this community. May is the rainy season. This explains why we have a rise in the number of malaria cases. The roads are muddy and wet, but this does not affect the peoples’ spirit to work. The health staffs continue serving the patients that visit the clinics with unwavering hard work. The support of our health centres by all well-wishers is helping to transform many people’s lives.

The population of Uganda is growing at 3.2% per year. At this rate the population will double in 20 years. This high growth rate is attributed mostly to high fertility which is currently standing at 6.7 children per woman, one of the highest in the world. This high rate has negative health impact on the women and the children. The frequent and high risk pregnancies and especially teenage pregnancies are the major contributors to reproductive stress which leads to high rates of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.

For Benna, the clinical officer, training with Marie Stopes International has given her confidence to family planning treatment. When she was visited by Grace and her husband Ronald, she was happy to explain to them the different contraceptive options available. Grace has five children; they are already feeling the burden of looking after a large family including other dependants. They discussed the possibility of family planning so that they can look after their children and send them to school. She is glad that her husband was very understanding. He was happy to go with her to the clinic. In Uganda, only 48% of the married women have spousal approval to use family planning.

Our collaborations with the community health workers is bringing in positive change. The number of clients seeking family planning services is rising steadily.

Family planning is a cost effective means to lower maternal mortality rates because it reduces the risk of exposure to pregnancy and death; reducing the incidence of abortion by averting unwanted and unplanned pregnancies; and by averting pregnancies that occur too early, too late or too frequently during the woman’s reproductive cycle, and those that are inadequately spaced.

So for Benna and the health team, they are always glad to see when a couple visits the clinic for such services.

We are seeking for your continued support towards this program, for many families who burdened with large famlies and no means of supportin them, we need to reach out to them. Your contiued support towards training more health workers, community health workers is always a great blessing.

We thank you you for supporting this program.

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