Increased demand for injectable contraceptives and overburdened health systems have led several countries to explore non-clinic-based mechanisms for providing this method. In an effort to inform future policies and programmes, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and Family Health International (FHI) convened a technical consultation on expanding access to injectable contraception, held at WHO in Geneva, earlier this year.

The group of 30 technical and programme experts found that community-based provision of progestin-only injectable contraceptives by appropriately trained community health workers is safe, effective, and acceptable. They concluded that evidence supports the introduction, continuation, and scale-up of community-based provision of progestin-only injectable contraceptives, provided as part of a family planning programme offering a range of contraceptive methods.

Source: Family Health International

Invest in women and girls

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA executive director, said last week that to expand gains in human development, now is the time to invest in women and girls - in their health, education, participation and well-being. There are more than half a billion adolescent girls in the developing world and they can make a powerful contribution to ending extreme poverty, Obaid said in a message to mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The executive director said that if girls are able to stay in school, postpone marriage and delay pregnancy, they will seek opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

"One family at a time, they can help fuel economic growth and prosperity. The current crisis is an opportunity to use the world's resources, technology and knowledge to put people first, especially the poor and marginalised. It is an opportunity to provide a social floor of protection, below which no one can fall. And it is an opportunity to reduce risks and lay the foundations of a fairer and more balanced global system that ensures the well-being of all," Obaid said.

Source: UNFPA