admin
Emmah Chinyamutangira Manicaland Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) has partnered the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) in its Mhuri/Imuli project aimed at promoting the uptake of long-term acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).
The project was being funded by USAID and implemented by Family Health International 360 to support people in Manicaland, with access to family planning.
ZNFPC Manicaland service delivery coodinator Mr Kennedy Majero said Mhuri/Imuli project had come on board in the third quarter of last year.
“We are working with Family Health International (FHI) 360,” he said. “To avoid overlapping of services, FHI 360 will implement the project in five districts — Makoni, Mutasa, Chipinge, Buhera and Mutare.
“Population Services International will be doing outreaches within Nyanga and some parts of Mutare in rural areas, while Population Services Zimbabwe will be covering Chimanimani district.”
Mr Majero said the Ministry of Health and Child Care still provided family planning services to all clinics in the province.
He said since the beginning of the project, there had been an increase in the uptake of LARCs such as jadelle, which lasts for five years, implants that last for three years and the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD).
Mr Majero said ZNFPC was pushing for modern methods of contraception mainly in rural areas which were hard to reach and raising awareness in all areas.
“We also need to increase knowledge of LARCS among women and men to increase the uptake of contraceptives by 2020 in line with the family planning strategy,” he said.
“This project concentrates more on implants and intra-uterine contraceptive devices (IUCD). It will reach out to people in those remote areas to offer services.”
Mr Majero said distribution of family planning commodities had already started in Buhera.
“Zimbabwe Assistance Pull System is making deliveries of family planning commodities in health service centres and our partners are there to encourage people to use them and educating them on the benefits of using contraceptive methods,” he said.
Online Reporter