In 2021, Nashiru* attended a mobile clinic run by our partner, The Maa Trust. It was here where she heard a nurse talk about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), including the value of family planning, and she began her journey of using contraception.
She initially opted to use the three-month injection. After experiencing the peace of mind and security that contraception has brought her, 35-year-old Nashiru is looking to change to a longer-term family planning method.
Nashiru sells groceries at market to support her family. Four of her five children are currently at school, her eldest is in secondary education. She has decided she doesn’t want any more children and no longer worries about unplanned pregnancies. She is now sharing her knowledge and experiences of family planning with other women.
“I started using family planning after my fifth child in 2021. I had never used any family planning method."
"I am now telling other women in the village that it’s very important that we go for family planning. The moment you plan your family size, you’ll have enough strength and time to go and do other activities which will improve the standard of your family. I don’t want any more children as I’d like to provide a quality life for my five children.
The project has been beneficial to me and for the whole community by providing services and information. There are so many women like me in the village who are not informed and cannot access the reproductive health services and lack support from their spouses and the culture.
Accessibility of information and family planning methods has been a challenge to most women since they have had to travel up to 10km to look for the Sexual and Reproductive Health services at the nearest health facility. It was costly to pay for transport and the services.”
*This name has been changed to protect her identity.
Your support can be life-changing for women like Nashiru and their families. By informing women in underserved communities about their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and giving them access to services, their health and her children’s health will improve, they will have more time for productive work, making their family better off, and children are more likely to complete education and their life chances will improve.