Private Sector Meets the Reproductive Health Needs of Young Working Women in Zambia
Ritah, age 19, Esther, age 22, and Mary, age 23 are typical of a new generation of Zambian women who enter the workforce before marrying and having children. They work as bartenders in Kitwe, Copperbelt Province, and like many women newly in the workforce, they want to take control of their reproductive health to prevent pregnancy.
Avoiding pregnancy is difficult because we all have boyfriends. So we decided to go to the clinic to seek the injectable contraceptive,” Esther said.
Private clinics in Zambia, such as the Natwange clinic in Kitwe, work to meet the reproductive needs of young working women. With support from USAID and oversight from the Zambia Ministry of Health, the clinic’s healthcare workers are trained to counsel clients on the full range of family planning methods and effectively communicate the potential side effects of different methods. Health care staff at private clinics like Natwange can administer short or long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as insertion and removal of implants and intrauterine devices. They also provide lifesaving HIV counseling, screening, and services.
Nurse Idah Mubanga administers the injectable contraceptive that Mary chose after family planning counseling.
Nurse Idah Mubanga helped Ritah, Esther, and Mary each choose which contraceptive they preferred. All three were encouraged to join a youth-friendly group that convenes every Friday at the Natwange Clinic. Members learn how to better respond to the choices, social pressures, and risks they face in life.
The nurse was patient with us and even explained all the family planning methods to us in detail,” Ritah said. “I am happy to learn that the injection will not stop us from having babies in future.”
“It’s like a dream that the nurse didn’t scold us,” Esther said.
The integrated care they received from Natwange clinic afforded Ritah, Esther, and Mary the person-centered reproductive health care they were looking for and more.