Family Planning: Making a Woman’s Dreams Come True
Given that South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality ratio in the world, the government through the Ministry of Health (MoH) is committed to providing comprehensive and integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services. Women and adolescents are important elements of the population in of need special attention and effective services with respect to sexual and reproductive health.
Victoria Victor is a 23-year-old mother of a baby boy named Eliano and married to a boda-boda (motorbike) rider within Juba town. She is currently a student at St. Vincent de Paul Society Technical School pursuing a one-year course in building and construction, specialising in plumbing and tiling. Victoria Victor says, she enrolled in this course because of her love for hands on work. Construction is a male dominated field in Juba, but she wants to break the glass ceiling. Her education is sponsored by well-wishers. She further noted that education is a priority for her and nothing will stop her from achieving her dreams, because the major contributing factor to school dropout is early pregnancies.
Uptake of Family planning in South Sudan is low rising minimally from less than 1% in 2004 to 4% in 2010, the second lowest rate in the world. The average unmet need for FP in Southern Sudan is about 1.37% of all women demanding contraception; only 28% of them are satisfied or have received the needed service.
As Victoria Victor delivered her baby boy Eliano one year ago, she already knew as earlier mentioned that education was the only way she could transform her life. She shared this desire with her sister in-law who advised her about family planning methods available in Juba. She acquired information on birth spacing because she did not want pregnancy to stand in her way of pursuing a technical course. Victoria’s husband has been receptive about birth spacing despite the myths associated with family planning in South Sudan are such as, contraceptives cause barrenness, cancer, uterine problems and make a woman sick all the time.
With the current economic situation in South Sudan, Juba has been experiencing a fuel crisis. This has affected the husband’s business making their financial status a bit unstable. Therefore, she made it clear to her husband that, if he needs more children he must assure her that he will be well able to meet their basic needs. She plans to have three more children after five years.
Victoria is hopeful that with less worries about getting pregnant, she will get a job which will enable her to pay school fees for her child. She is determined to pursue her dreams now more than ever, saying that the sky is her limit. She has also advised one of her friends, a classmate to follow the same path. Her friend has chosen an implant that will last for three years as her contraception method. Contraceptives enable women to prevent unplanned pregnancies and to avoid sexual transmitted infections (STIs).
The Health Pooled Fund’s (HPF) analysis of the District Health Information System (DHIS) data from November 2016 – May 2017 demonstrates that women in South Sudan prefer short term reversible family planning methods (condoms, oral contraceptives and Depo Provera injection). For longer term reversible methods, the three-year implant is requested more than the five-year implant. Permanent family planning methods were not requested for or availed during the provided timeframe.