Uganda
Family Planning
Activity Dates
2004-2007
Activity Summary
Uganda has one of the highest fertility rates in the world, with an average of 6.7 children per woman.1 This is in an environment where there are political and cultural leaders who support large families and cultural beliefs where children are seen as a source of wealth. Culturally, men associate the number of children with virility and see family planning as a woman’s issue. This rapidly increasing population has an adverse effect on the development of Uganda, quality of life, and access to social services, infrastructure and land. It is important to note that previous family planning communication campaigns focused on birth spacing with emphasis on the health of mothers and children.
HCP provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and the Family Planning Revitalization Working Group to develop and implement a national communication campaign to promote “smaller, healthier, more prosperous families in Uganda.” The campaign focuses on men with the objective of increasing the proportion of men who discuss family planning with their partners because they believe it is the best way to a healthier, more prosperous life.
HCP developed the following communication materials: radio talk shows, mini radio serial dramas and spots, “Everyday Health Matters” newsletters, posters, road stars (mini-billboards), billboards, rainbow over yellow flower signboards and placards for family planning services, and flipcharts for clinical workers and community reproductive health workers. HCP also updated and dubbed two family planning videos – ‘Seven Family Planning Methods’ and ‘Time to Care: A question of Children’ – to a number of local languages.
HCP also collaborated with Plan Uganda to implement community-based approaches to mobilise men. These include community-based family planning radio programs (Ekimeeza), worksite family planning discussions, competitive sporting events with men in the community, distribution of family planning IEC materials and conducting IEC materials facilitation, staff development and “Be a Man” trainings for volunteers as well as Stepping Stones sessions focusing on family planning.
1 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), Uganda Bureau of Statistics
Materials
- Flipchart for clinic based family planning providers
- Flip chart for Community Based Reproductive Health Workers
- Video presenting family planning methods for health facility education (in English and 4 local languages)
- Video drama showing the need of family planning, for community education
- FP informational signposts
- “Every day health matters” newsletter(in English and 5 local languages)
Back to Uganda
Note about materials: Some of the materials and resources listed on each page are available in their full form, others are represented by image or citation only. For more information and resources, go to www.jhuccp.org
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