Updates

By: Numfor Alenwi, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Cameroon

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

For young people in my country, the need for comprehensive education is needed to overcome myths and misconceptions about contraception. In Cameroon, only 37% of the demand for family planning is satisfied. Read more...

By: Ife Smith, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Trinidad and Tobago

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the rates of teenage pregnancy and HIV prevalence are quite high. The adolescent birth rate in Trinidad and Tobago is 33 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19, and there were 15,000 people living with HIV in 2009. Statistics show that at the end of 2009, an estimated 240,000 people were living with HIV in the Caribbean.

By: Tunde Ajidagba, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Nigeria

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

There are many major obstacles that young people face when trying to access or use contraceptive services.  They range from socio-cultural issues, problems related to privacy and confidentiality, issues of cost and affordability, and even coping with threatening surroundings.

By: Cinthia Sagrario Interian Varguez, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Mexico

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

As a sexual human being, I feel I have the right to access contraceptive information and services even though, unfortunately, there are still harmful myths and taboos about young people’s sexual and reproductive health. Young people in my indigenous Mayan community face particular obstacles from their culture and religion when seeking out comprehensive, unbiased information.

By: Mallah Tabot, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Cameroon

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

With more methods of contraception available, girls and women are increasingly provided with the freedom to choose if and when to be mothers. This freedom, however, generates controversy. Read more...

By: Cassien Havugimana, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Rwanda

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

Young people have the right to contraceptive information and services. These rights are important not only for the youth, but also for all people in my home country of Rwanda. Read more...

By: Florence B. Mwitwa, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Tanzania

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

For many young people in my community, talking about contraception is just not comfortable. This is not only true for young people, but also for adults, who might have trouble broaching the topic or supporting young people in their choices. Read more...

By: Bukola Oyinloye, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Senegal

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

Dear Young African Woman,

Imagine yourself at the point of intimacy with your partner when you ask, “Do you have protection?” Your partner responds, “No, I really don’t like using condoms because I don’t feel anything and it’s too much of a hassle! Can we just…not use anything?” Read more...

By: Idrissa A. Conteh, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Sierra Leone

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

In Sierra Leone, general knowledge about sexual and reproductive health is terribly low. Limited understanding about sexual health among youth is a major obstacle that restricts young people’s access to contraception and other critical reproductive health services. Read more...

By: Alan Deivid Figueroa Frías, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Bolivia

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy. 

More than ever before, young people in Mexico and around the world are using the internet to research contraceptives and other reproductive health issues. This brings a new level of responsibility to information technology, and social media in particular. Read more...

By: Maureen Oduor, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Tanzania

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

In Tanga, Tanzania, young people aren’t a priority when it comes to family planning – from services, to education, to advocacy and awareness. Too often, young people don’t use family planning services because of fear or shame. There needs to be a serious increase in efforts to empower young people in this community to make a change. Read more...

Originally posted on Every Mother Counts

The Sixth Annual World Contraception Day is coming up on September 26th. This worldwide campaign envisions a world where every pregnancy is wanted and this year, we’re setting the blogosphere on fire with posts, perspectives and conversations all about contraception. Women Deliver, in partnership with the Gates Foundation’s Impatient Optimists, is sponsoring the blog-fest focused on this year’s WCD theme: Your Future. Your Choice. Your Contraception. Read more...

By: Raquel Ruvuelta, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Argentina

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012.

In Argentina, the National Programme for Sexual Health and Responsible Parenthood (Programa Nacional de Salud Sexual y Procreación Responsible, or PNSSyPR) was met with much excitement when it was created by Law No. 25.673 in 2003.  If given the resources and will to succeed, this program could make great progress in improving the health of Argentinean girls and women. Read more...

By: Gonzalo Infante Grandón, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Chile

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

When addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), we must first identify the many obstacles they face. Read more...

By: Dr. Shibilu Shamsudeen, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from United Arab Emirates

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

In many parts of the Muslim world, the topic of contraception is largely avoided, as is sexual education in general. Further, any discussion related to sexuality, especially to the unmarried, is a taboo. Many countries in the Middle East even have laws against the purchase of oral contraceptive pills. Read more...

By: Jos Dirkx, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from South Africa

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

The basic human rights of women regarding their health, bodies and sexuality are under threat, and have been called into question during recent debates on contraceptive use and reproductive rights. Read more...

By: Anne Alan Sizomu, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Uganda

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

Unfortunately, there is a misconception among young people that contraceptives are only for married and older people. But I know that family planning is important to young people too. Young or old, family planning should be a simple and personal decision made by informed individuals or couples regarding how often and when to have children. Read more...

By: Aiste Dackauskaite, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from LithuaniaWomen Deliver 100 Young Leader from Lithuania Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from ZimbabweWomen Deliver 100 Young Leader from ZimbabweWomen Deliver 100 Young Leader from Lithuania

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012. For more stories and to get involved further visit No Controversy.

The benefits of contraception for young people seem self-evident – it enables them to protect their health, control their life, and plan their future. However, UN research shows that Lithuania has one of the lowest levels of contraceptive use in Europe. Why aren’t people, especially young people, using contraception in Lithuania? Read more...

By: Wanzala E. Martin, Women Deliver 100 Young Leader from Uganda

This blog is part of a series, edited by Women Deliver, in partnership with Impatient Optimists, on youth perspectives to celebrate World Contraception Day. Share your thoughts in comments and join the conversation at #WCD2012.

I am from Uganda, a country that many consider one of the earliest and best success stories in reducing HIV in the world. Whether or not you agree with this assertion, one fact for sure is that Uganda has experienced substantial declines in HIV prevalence and incidence during the past decade, especially among adolescents. This reduction can largely be attributed to increased access to contraception coupled with better funding to the health sector. Read more...