From the article: "Mchinji District Health Office (DHO) has expressed concern over community- held myths and misconceptions which are said to be negatively affecting the uptake of family planning methods in the district. The DHO’s Spokesperson, Owen Chatayika said on Monday some women shun family planning methods because of perceptions that contraceptives would lower their sexual drives. Speaking on Monday when Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM) launched Kulinga Mawa Project in the district, Chatayika parried away the perceptions and expressed hope that the project would increase demand for family planning services in the district. “We are glad to welcome Kulinga Mawa Project because Mchinji’s population is growing at a fast rate due to low uptake of family planning services,” he said. Chataika hailed BLM, Population Services International (PSI) Malawi and Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) for family planning interventions they are implementing in the district. BLM’s Acting Demand Generation Manager, Chifundo Makwakwa said the project will be using video slots to disseminate family planning messages to clear myths and misconceptions associated with family planning. Group Village Head Dzidzwa said he was very glad with the project because they lacked information about family planning, though as chiefs they had tried their best to sensitize communities on family planning. Kulinga Mawa Project will be implemented with funds from the European Union (EU)."
From the article: "New innovations in modern contraception could help countries reduce unintended pregnancies in Africa. Speaking in reference to the Sayana Press, a new self-injectable contraceptive method, Dr. Emmanuel Mugisha, a reproductive health expert, said when a greater range of options are available, more women will use modern contraception. This, he stressed, would make countries achieve their family planning goals, while at the same time realising the commitments made at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). “Data shows that when a new option is introduced, it tends to help increase the modern contraception rate and reduce unmet need,” he added. “Reaching new users of family planning can help achieve FP2020 goals, and realize ICPD commitments. When the product is newly introduced, data from many countries, for example Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda, show that about one-third of doses are to first-time users of family planning,” he added. Mugisha, the country director of Path Uganda, made the remarks while presenting a paper titled “advancing contraceptive options: Innovations for sectoral and reproductive health.” This was during the 2019 Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health meeting in Kampala. He stated that recent evidence from Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda suggests that Sayana Press, a small and light device, enables significantly more women to continue using the method. Sayana is prefilled and ready to inject. “Most women like it because it is discreet. Her husband doesn’t have to know. It is easy to use. And it can be stored at home, which means that people don’t have to move long distances to health centers all the time,” said Mugisha."
