Repositioning family planning: guidelines for advocacy action

Provision of family planning services in Africa is hindered by poverty, poor access to services and commodities, poor coordination of the programmes, and dwindling donor funding. In addition, traditional beliefs favouring high fertility, religious barriers, and lack of make involvement have weakened family planning interventions. Yet, it is considered an essential component of primary health care and reproductive health and plays a major role in reducing maternal and newborn morbidity, and transmission of HIV.

This toolkit aims to help those working in family planning across Africa to effectively advocate for renewed emphasis on family planning to enhance the visibility, availability, and quality of family planning services for increased contraceptive use and healthy timing and spacing of births, ultimately, improved quality of life across the region. It was developed in response to requests from several countries to assist them in accelerating their family planning advocacy efforts.

It contains of eight briefs including: 

• An overview of regional and country data, trends and challenges (focusing on sub-Saharan Africa 
  
• Ten steps to developing an advocacy strategy and action plan 
  
• Communicating with influential audiences including policymakers, health sector leaders, community leaders and the private sector 
  
• Tips on how to engage journalists 
  
• Additional resources

The complete toolkit comes with an interactive CD-ROM.
[adapted from the authors]