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Family planning services in Malawi have continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
© UNFPA/Joseph Scott
Family planning services in Malawi have continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

FROM THE FIELD: Avoiding unintended pregnancies in cash-strapped Malawi

11 March 2021
Health

In Malawi, as in many countries across the world, funds meant for sexual reproductive health and family planning are being diverted to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and the UN has stepped in to prevent these services from grinding to a halt.

Dorica Zuze has opted for a long term family planning method to avoid crowded health centres and the danger posed by COVID-19.
Dorica Zuze has opted for a long term family planning method to avoid crowded health centres and the danger posed by COVID-19., by © UNFPA/Joseph Scott

In Disenti, a village in southern Malawi, mother of five Dorica Zuze is listening to health workers explain how to better protect herself from COVID-19. She is taking the virus seriously, but she’s also worried that her local health centre will no longer be able to provide family planning services.

Malawi has a weak health system, with a high number of patients for every doctor, and frequent drug shortages. The UN family planning agency, UNFPA, is helping to ensure that these services are maintained, implementing a six-year, $50 million programme focusing on young people in underserved rural communities.

Thanks to the programme, Ms. Zuze has been able to choose a contraceptive implant that will last three years. She, and many like her, can now focus on her future.

You can read the full story here.

 

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Malawi|Family Planning|COVID-19|From the Field

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One year since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic, the UN’s reproductive health agency said on Thursday that an estimated 12 million women have experienced disruptions to their family planning services. 

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