By: Rati Bishnoi, Special Projects Intern
The West African nation of Senegal has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world—with 410 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. Considering an estimated five children are born per woman, it is clear that the health and safety of women in the country greatly depend on their ability to control if and when they have children.
Despite prevailing views placing emphasis on the value of larger families, more Senegalese are choosing to space their births, have fewer children, and seek long-term family planning options, Fatou Seck, a midwife at Hospital Centre for Health and Hygiene in Medina, Senegal, recently told IRIN News.
Another reason that contraceptives are in greater demand, according to UNFPA’s Senegal Joint Director Edwige Adekambi, is due to the government’s increased focus and funding toward family planning in state-run hospitals and clinics. As part of an initiative to reduce maternal mortality the government has doubled the annual budget for reproductive health (and subsequently, family planning) to $200,000. As a result, government pharmacies and small medical facilities will now be better stocked with contraceptives. Presently, Senegalese women are unable to rely on the government facilities to have contraceptives readily available and are forced to buy them from private vendors, who charge more than the government’s tariff of 100 CFA per month’s supply.
The steps being made to ensure access to contraceptives are a welcomed advancement but there is still much to be done. Specifically, regarding access to family planning in rural areas, where only an estimated one in twenty sexually active men and women have access to contraception. Thankfully, organizations like the UNFPA continue to push for such solutions in new and innovative ways. In Matam, for instance, one of the poorest and most rural areas of the country, they are helping couples that have used contraception become agents of change. By encouraging the couples to dialogue with other families in their communities, they are able to share how contraception has transformed their lives, and to advocate for greater access.
Flickr photo by: Nebedaay
Entry Comments
Being born and raised in the United States, I believe we (as a country) sometimes take for granted the privileges we have. I cannot imagine how it must feel for the people of Senegal to not have access to neither family planning nor contraceptives. Reading that there are about 410 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births truly saddens me. If the women had access to family planning and contraceptives, there could be a much lower maternal death rate. It is unfair that these couples must purchase contraceptives from “private vendors” and pay a large amount of money, money which they need for necessities such as food. It is great to see agencies, such as the UNFPA, help these individuals with important issues such as family planning and contraceptives. These agencies are making the world a better place and are positively impacting global health and I am sure the individuals of Senegal feel the same.
Women Deliver delivers death.
It is deplorable to associate family planning as a means to reduce maternal mortality. Birth control and abortion do absolutely nothing to reduce maternal mortality. In reality, abortion and birth control lead to higher women’s health risks.
Family planning (birth control, spacing and abortion) has nothing to do with protecting women’s health. Instead it is what it has always been, population control.
How dare you go to developing contries and decieve women and seduce them into accepting family planning as a way to improve health.
Focus on real maternal health care - easier access to qualified maternal health care services and pre and post natal care.
thanks for sharing a nice article keep on posting like this.
Thank you for your comment, Molly. We promote proven solutions that save the lives of women and girls. It is a fact that of the 210 million pregnancies occurring each year, nearly 80 million are unintended. These lead to approximately 21.6 million unsafe abortions each year, resulting in 47,000 deaths annually. Abortions will happen regardless of politics- when safe services are not offered, women will then be forced to seek out unsafe, life-threatening services. As our mission is to reduce maternal deaths, we support access to safe abortion services.
Regarding family planning, there are currently over 215 million girls and women who want to avoid or delay pregnancy but don’t have access to family planning. Each year, 358,000 women die from pregnancy-related complications. A recent report by The Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA shows that access to family planning could reduce maternal deaths by up to 70%. In a world of 7 billion and in the face of growing global inequity, one thing is clear: we must empower girls and women everywhere. Reproductive rights, including family planning, are a fundamental stepping stone to gender equality. It is now more important than ever before ensure that all children are wanted, and all citizens have the resources they need to realize their full potential.