Perspectives on Unmet Need for Family Planning in West Africa
The countries of West Africa have some of the highest levels of unmet need for family planning in the world. This series of briefing papers is designed to contribute to the effort to improve FP policies and programs by offering various perspectives on the nature and dimensions of unmet need based on the findings of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 11 West African countries.

• Maternal and Neonatal Program Effort Index
  The POLICY Project’s Maternal and Neonatal Program Effort Index series provides country-specific data on maternal and neonatal health programs in more than 30 developing countries.
  
  
• Using the SPARHCS Approach to Reposition Family Planning in Madagascar:
  A Success Story [PDF, 374KB]
  This assessment documents the SPARHCS process and its results, challenges, and recommendations for raising awareness of the FP program in Madagascar.
  
  
• Strengthening Family Planning Policies and Programs in Developing Countries:
  An Advocacy Toolkit [PDF, 1.2MB]
  This manual provides step-by-step advice to community and national staff to promote FP agendas.

• Reproductive Health Commodity Security Strategy for the West Africa Subregion [PDF, 791KB]
  The vision of this strategy is to achieve reproductive health commodity security in West Africa, which will exist when every West African can reliably choose, obtain, and use quality, affordable, and essential reproductive health supplies when he or she needs them. This document demonstrates that the increased use of reproductive health (RH) products can reduce maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, which supports the West African Health Organization’s maternal health objectives.
  • Also available in French
    
    
• Contraceptive Security Index User’s Guide [PDF, 895KB]
  This is the user’s guide for the Contraceptive Security Index 2006: A Tool for Priority Setting and Planning. This guide was developed to help program managers, logisticians, and others get the most out of the index and effectively present its findings to decisionmakers.
  • Also available in French [PDF, 1MB] and Spanish [PDF, 1MB]
    


• Policy Issues in Planning and Finance
  This resource is intended to focus attention on the importance of developing a favorable policy environment that encourages appropriate and adequate FP/RH and HIV/AIDS program financing.
  • Strengthening Contraceptive Security in Decentralized Settings [PDF, 270KB]
    
    
    
• Moving in the Right Direction: Results of a Global Survey of Activities and Processes to Meet Contraceptive Commodity Needs [PDF, 244KB]
  This report focuses primarily on the results of a global survey of local and international NGOs and public officials with the goal of gathering information on how countries have addressed RH/FP and commodities, where significant advocacy efforts have occurred.
  
  
• Contraceptive Use Helps Reduce the Incidence of Abortion
  Access to voluntary FP services, including contraception, is essential in helping to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and, consequently, the incidence of abortion.
• Population Action International Publications Library
  
  
• Related Web Sites
  • USAID Contraceptive Security
  • Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition
  • UNFPA Supplies
  • USAID | DELIVER Project
  • USAID | DELIVER Project Regional Advocacy
    Including East Africa Commodity Security Initiative and West Commodity Security Initiative
  • International Association for Public Health Logisticians
    

Improving Access to Family Planning: Community-Based Distribution of Depo-Provera
Drawing on research and programs from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, this kit, created by Family Health International, presents seven briefs with evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of community-based distribution of Depo-Provera (DMPA). The kit also includes overviews of resources and steps for initiating provision within existing RH programs, as well as a checklist for screening clients based on the World Health Organization’s Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use.

• Brief 1: Expanding Access to Injectable Contraception
  
  
• Brief 2: Safety of Community-Based Distribution of DMPA
  
  
• Brief 3: Effectiveness of Community-Based Distribution of DMPA
  
  
• Brief 4: Integrating Community-Based Distribution of DMPA Into Existing Health Systems
  
  
• Brief 5: Community-Based Distribution of DMPA: The Nakasongola Project, Uganda
  
  
• Brief 6: Community-Based Distribution of DMPA: The APROFAM Project, Guatemala
  
  
• Brief 7: Community-Based Distribution of DMPA: The Matlab Project, Bangladesh
  
  
• Steps to Begin Providing DMPA Through Community-based Services
  
  
• Selected Community-Based Distribution of DMPA Resources

• Strategic Plan for Young Adult and Adolescent Reproductive Health in Edo State of Nigeria (2004 – 2009) [PDF, 1MB]
  This strategic plan aims to improve the sexual and RH status of young adults and adolescents by building on the existing strengths, identifying available opportunities and resources for use to bridge existing gaps, and tackling challenges for youth programming in Edo State.
  
  
• A GIFT for RH Project, Nepal: Endline Evaluation [PDF, 130KB]
  The mission of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Their Reproductive Heath Project was to help rural women and girls acquire knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and to take appropriate actions to address their educational, social, and RH needs. This endline evaluation study assesses the achievements of the project.
  
  
• Franchising the Better Life Options Program Through the BLOOM Adolescent Network [PDF, 522KB]
  This report details the franchising and scaling up of the Better Life Options Program, a Center for Development and Population Activities adolescent program, in India, which seeks to empower girls and boys aged 10–19 to make decisions for their self-interest and to envision and achieve more equitable relationships.
  
  
• The Better Life Options Program for Adolescent Boys in India [PDF, 7MB]
  The Better Life Options Program promotes opportunities for girls and young women to make better life choices concerning their health, economic status, civic participation, education, employment, decisionmaking abilities, and FP. This booklet describes how a similar program was developed in India for adolescent boys to effectively challenge gender inequalities.
  
  
• Improving Girls’ Lives in Egypt: A Decade of Progress Overview [PDF, 117KB]
  This overview of the New Horizons project, which through 10 years of project activity supported Egyptian NGOs and youth centers in developing and implementing innovative life skills and RH informal education courses for youth.
  
  
• Reproductive Health for Youth in Mali Project: End-of-Project Report [PDF, 174KB]
  An end-of-project report describes the achievements of the USAID-funded Reproductive Health for Youth in Mali (RHYM) Project, that trained volunteer peer educators in RH and information, education, and communication skills specific to youth, as well as maternal and child health survival, as a strategy to promote behavior change among youth in Mali.
  
  
• Learn more about USAID’s role in youth RH .
  

• More Than Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach Toward Africa
  This Council on Foreign Relations-sponsored Independent Task Force Report argues that Africa is becoming more central to the United States and to the rest of the world in ways that transcend humanitarian interests. Africa now plays an increasingly significant role in supplying energy, preventing the spread of terrorism, and halting the devastation of HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• Learn more about USAID’s role in FP and HIV integration.
  

• Making Family Planning Part of the PRSP Process: A Guide for Incorporating Family Planning Programs Into Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper [PDF, 508KB]
  This guide is designed to help FP champions, including civil society and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international and donor organizations, and interested government officials, and other stakeholders promote the inclusion of FP issues and programs into Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs).
  
  
• Addressing Population in Poverty Reduction Strategies [PDF, 221KB]
  This policy brief provides background information about PRSPs and their functions, explains the PRSP development process, and advances the argument for including FP into poverty reduction strategies. The brief outlines the main reasons for countries to invest in FP programs to accelerate poverty reduction.
  
  
• Learn more about USAID’s role in poverty and health equity.