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Introduction

Voluntary family planning is a critical element of women’s agency. It can help women avoid unintended pregnancies and plan their desired pregnancies to occur at times that are most healthy for them and their families. Even with modern contraceptive use on the rise in many countries, estimates from 2019 show that around 218 million women worldwide still had an unmet need for modern contraception, leaving them at risk for unintended pregnancies and maternal death.
The MOMENTUM resources highlighted in this newsletter can help health systems managers and health care providers improve access to family planning and reproductive health services, and ensure women have the informed choice and agency to live their full potential.

YOUTH

Engaging Youth to Design Initiatives that Meet Their Needs

How can we engage youth in family planning and reproductive health programs? Drawing from MOMENTUM’s experience collaborating with youth in Kenya and Malawi, the Strengthening Youth-led Family Planning and Reproductive Health Initiatives brief offers insight into how to plan and implement youth-led, FP/RH initiatives. It also provides recommendations for future engagement with youth, including the importance of creating space to determine capacity-strengthening needs and maintaining an adaptable mindset.
Interested in learning more about the powerful role that youth play in achieving sustainable health outcomes and increasing social accountability? Check out this landscape analysis!

Using Digital Tools to Engage Youth and Men in Reproductive Health

Looking for innovative new ways to reach youth with accurate and reliable health information and engage men as informed partners for family planning and reproductive health? Meet Tata Annie, a chatbot designed to meet the needs of youth in Benin, providing confidential and on-demand sexual and reproductive health information via WhatsApp, Facebook, and other platforms. Also check out VIYA, a first-of-its-kind lifestyle wellness chatbot in Pakistan, which aims to destigmatize conversations around family planning, reproductive needs, and contraceptive options. Learn more about Tata Annie and VIYA, and get inspiration for your own digital health innovations!

FRAGILE SETTINGS

A Framework for Health Within the Humanitarian-Development Nexus

Did you know that women and children are disproportionately affected by conflicts and crises? In fragile environments, such as war zones, natural disasters, and displaced populations, the rates of maternal, newborn, and child mortality rise significantly. The key to ensuring resilience of health services and systems during these times, in particular for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), lies in the development and humanitarian communities' ability to coordinate and collaborate, a relationship referred to as the “humanitarian-development nexus.” Delve deeper into the humanitarian-development nexus and discover how to effectively plan and implement resilient FP/RH health programs during humanitarian crises in this brief.

Strengthening Resilience to Provide Voluntary Family Planning in Fragile Settings During a Pandemic

What have we learned about how to maintain family planning and reproductive health care during a pandemic? The Ensuring the Continuity of Voluntary Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care and Interventions for Youth resource offers ideas for how health workers and program implementers can adapt FP/RH care and interventions for youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes bringing service delivery approaches to SMS/WhatsApp, providing integrated health services for youth, and engaging local youth-led organizations to devise strategies for reaching those without access to digital resources.
If you’re keen to learn even more watch the recording of MOMENTUM’s dynamic webinar, titled: Strengthening Health Resilience to Improve Voluntary Family Planning in Fragile Settings.

TASK SHARING AND TRAINING

Online Platform for Family Planning Training Resources

Did you know that you can find a wide array of training resources for family planning all in one place? The Training Resource Package for Family Planning is an interactive, online platform that provides curriculum components and tools for trainers to design, implement, and evaluate family planning and reproductive health training. Unlock training modules, guides, and a discussion forum for connecting with other trainers today!

World Health Organization Task Sharing Guidelines for Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives and Permanent Methods

In 2017, WHO released task sharing guidelines for family planning methods. In this context, task sharing refers to the systematic redistribution of FP counseling and methods to non-FP health workers with the goal of expanding the range of those who can deliver these services. More than five years after the guidelines were released, this desk review explores the extent to which countries have adopted and implemented the guidelines, bringing to light the challenges, barriers, and opportunities that come with operationalization.