Information, Services, And Commodities: USAID’S Coordinated Efforts To Increase Access To Contraceptives

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Contraceptives are a powerful tool to help people plan and lead fulfilling lives. When all individuals—including mothers, couples, and young people—can make voluntary and informed decisions about whether and when to use a contraceptive method, and what method to use, they can stay in school, participate in the workforce, care for their families, and contribute to household and national economic well-being.

USAID recognizes that access to contraceptives requires a whole-of-system approach, implemented with local governments, partners, and communities around the world. In addition to supporting the development or introduction of almost every contraceptive method on the market today, USAID covers all essential elements of successful family planning and reproductive health programs. Here are some of the ways we collaborate with local partners to put investments into action and increase knowledge of, access to, and support for contraceptive methods around the world.

Leveraging Technology To Educate And Empower

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Did you know that role playing can improve real-world decision-making? In the first two months since its launch, Go Nisha Go was downloaded 100,000 times in India. USAID support for the development and launch of Go Nisha Go(link is external) makes it easier than ever for girls in India to confidently navigate sexual and reproductive health decision-making, menstrual health, and other topics in a safe, game-based, virtual environment. The game is designed to increase reproductive health knowledge, build agency, encourage intergenerational communication, and overcome barriers such as provider stigma against offering contraceptives to young women. “We wanted to reach girls and empower them to make informed decisions about their reproductive health,” shared Kavita Ayyagari, Country Director at Howard Delafield International and India Team Lead.

Strengthening Supply Chains to Keep Contraceptives In Stock

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To help all people access the contraceptive methods that best meet their needs, USAID—through Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management(link is external) (GHSC-PSM) and other efforts—works to secure a reliable supply of contraceptives and maintain supply chains that deliver commodities on time. GHSC-PSM operates in 15 priority countries to address policy, financing, delivery, and socio-economic barriers to contraceptive commodities and information.

In Haiti, Dr. Florence Duperval Guillaume, the GHSC-PSM country director, feels passionately about the importance of keeping a range of contraceptive methods in stock. Providing convenient access to preferred family planning methods can help reduce unmet need for family planning, contributing to better health outcomes and positioning people to care for themselves and their families. USAID, in partnership with the Government of Haiti, other stakeholders in Haiti, and Dr. Guillaume’s team has acquired and distributed 6.6 million contraceptives in Haiti from 2017 to 2020. These contraceptives have prevented an estimated 495,000 unintended pregnancies and 800 maternal deaths, and saved the country up to 22 million dollars, which can be reinvested in the country’s health system.

Improving Health Systems to Improve Quality of Care

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Accessing contraceptives often requires meeting with health professionals, such as a nurse or pharmacist. Equipping these professionals and health facilities with the skills and resources to effectively treat and counsel patients supports informed decision-making. In communities that face acute or recurring shocks and stresses, such as political conflict or natural disasters, that can disrupt access to contraceptives and threaten women’s and girls’ well-being, sustained access to contraception is especially important.

USAID’s MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience(link is external) project works alongside local organizations, governments, and humanitarian and development partners in fragile settings(link is external) to introduce, deliver, expand, and sustain the use of evidence-based, quality voluntary family planning, and reproductive health care. The project offers tailored programming based on specific country needs. For example, in Mali, efforts focus on supporting the subnational governments to holistically address health system shocks and stresses, and improving coordination with Mali’s national government, humanitarian and development partners, and other stakeholders to improve upon or sustain health outcomes.

Beating Biases and Transforming Social Norms

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Access to contraception can be influenced by attitudes and knowledge or gender and social norms. To address these underlying factors, USAID’s Breakthrough ACTION project(link is external) uses social and behavior change approaches to encourage people to access contraceptive services, use contraceptives as prescribed, and improve quality of care. For example, the project has created and adapted tools to increase empathy and reduce healthcare provider bias against youth(link is external). Among other endeavors, Breakthrough ACTION also considers human behavior and communication methods to reduce discontinuation of contraceptives among women who want to delay or prevent a pregnancy; encourage men to engage in conversations about family planning and contraceptive methods; and to end harmful practices such as early and forced child marriage and female genital mutilation.

Access to contraception can be transformative and uplift households and communities. However, contraception still remains out of reach for some. Increasing contraceptive access requires a coordinated suite of efforts to address all barriers, including gaps in knowledge, harmful social norms, service delivery challenges, supply chain capacity, and more. Thanks to a host of partners—from governments to research institutions to youth advocates—USAID’s investments are putting contraceptive services, information, and commodities within reach of more women, couples, and young people around the world.