Expanding Access to IUDs and Implants in West Africa

In most francophone West African countries modern method CPR is below 10%, and long-acting method use is 1% or below. RESPOND is providing technical assistance to four IPPF Member Associations (MAs) in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo) to strengthen their capacity to program, manage and expand long-acting methods of contraception through their network of clinics.

As a first step in the process, RESPOND developed an Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool for Family Planning Programming (including the use of Long-Acting Methods) and an accompanying Facilitator's Guide. The Tool is based on the EngenderHealth SEED Model for Programming and builds on organizational capacity assessment tools from the non-profit and private sectors. Using the Tool and Facilitators Guide, RESPOND organized and facilitated three participatory self-assessments with IPPF MAs. The results of these capacity assessments will determine the focus of a regional workshop (scheduled for September 2011) in coordination with the IPPF Regional Office in Nairobi, the AWARE II Project based in Accra, and the USAID West Africa Mission. RESPOND will use the results to plan future technical assistance to support an uptake in the use of long-acting methods at the IPPF MAs clinics.