Reproductive Health/Family Planning

Providing free pregnancy test kits to CHWs increases distribution of contraceptives: results from an impact evaluation in Madagascar

To improve access to contraceptives in remote and rural areas, sub-Saharan African countries are allowing community health workers (CHWs) to distribute hormonal contraceptives. Before offering hormonal contraceptives, CHWs must determine pregnancy status but often lack a reliable way to do so. This study design implemented a randomized experiment in Eastern Madagascar among … [Read more...] about Providing free pregnancy test kits to CHWs increases distribution of contraceptives: results from an impact evaluation in Madagascar

In African countries including Kenya, contraceptive use, fertility rates and other reproductive health indicators in rural areas lag behind urban areas. Even though Kenya's fertility rate declined from 8.1 in 1978 to 4.6 in 2008, the figures are much higher in rural areas, 5.2 compared to an urban rate of 2.9. The persistent high fertility rate has been attributed to many … [Read more...] about Women’s attitudes toward receiving family planning services from community health workers in rural Western Kenya

World Vision's Timed and Targeted Counselling for Health and Nutrition (ttC) is a comprehensive training course for CHWs, Care Groups and volunteers working in maternal and child health. ttC takes a life-cycle approach, supporting through pregnancy to two years of age, which offers the best opportunity to put children on a path to life-long health. World Vision’s newly released … [Read more...] about Timed and Targeted Counselling for Health and Nutrition, 2nd Edition: A Comprehensive Training Course for Community Health Workers

Among family planning methods, long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), consisting of intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, have a proven record of high effectiveness and high user satisfaction, and they are not dependent on user adherence. However, despite the many advantages of LARCs, contraceptive implants, which are among the most effective LARCs, make up a very … [Read more...] about Task Shifting Provision of Contraceptive Implants to Community Health Extension Workers: Results of Operations Research in Northern Nigeria

A range of formal and informal close-to-community (CTC) health service providers operate in an increasingly urbanized Bangladesh. Informal CTC health service providers play a key role in Bangladesh’s pluralistic health system, yet the reasons for their popularity and their interactions with formal providers and the community are poorly understood. This paper aims to understand … [Read more...] about Exploring the context in which different close-to-community sexual and reproductive health service providers operate in Bangladesh: a qualitative study