Stories

Cyclone Winston, which devastated Fiji, was the strongest to ever hit the South Pacific. IPPF’s humanitarian response there was carried out with our Member Association, the Reproductive & Family Health Association of Fiji, and is part of our SPRINT Initiative, funded by the Australian Government. Despite its flourishing international tourism industry, Fiji remains a deeply conservative and traditional society, bound by long-held rules on culture and conduct. In particular, any discussion about sex and sexuality is taboo: including talk of sex, condoms, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Given Fiji’s relatively high rate of teen pregnancy (36 in 1000 in the 15-19 age group, according to UNFPA 2016 statistics), it is an issue of growing concern. It falls upon the village headman to provide guidance on how the issue is tackled: and when there is one who is progressive and not afraid to discuss taboo topics, it augers well for the sexual health of the entire community. Sevuama Sevutia is one such leader. The deputy headman of Naiserelegai village is a proud advocate of condom-use, telling the young people of the village that it is vital to wear them to prevent pregnancy. “My experiences, I share with the kids,” says Sevuama. “I tell the children, get to that stage of knowing what the sexual relationship is all about. Please look after yourself and if you have a problem, with the young boys or if someone is giving you the wrong advice, please tell people. It’s my job to tell them, to call their mother, their father.” “Nowadays, as the education level rises, we have to open up. But in the village, in the olden days, when people would see condoms they would say, 'no no, don’t talk about that'. But I am encouraging them to open up.” His children, too, are encouraged to be open. “I tell them, this is a condom,” he says, brandishing an imaginary condom. “Safe sex. If you want to have sex, use a condom. Use the condom! And protect yourself from the other things.” Sevuama, 53, a former marine engineer, spent decades in Suva before returning to his bayside home village of Naiserelegai. He was in the city at the time of the cyclone but managed to get back three or four days later when the roads had re-opened. He found his home damaged but intact and his five children safe, but much of the village destroyed and his wife still in shock. He received a small amount of money from the government to help fix his roof. Earlier this year, he, along with other men in the village, participated in IPPF information sessions on male sexual health and fertility, which he described as very helpful in complementing and reinforcing his existing knowledge. “We had a lot of questions, like mostly for the man, something might have happened to them during a difficult time. All this information helps the communities.” Stories Read more stories about our work in Fiji after the Cyclone Winston

"I feel satisfied as a service provider and as a member of the outreach team." Shodunke Mary, 53, has been a midwife from the Local Government Area Council for seven years. Now she is working with PPFN providing family planning counselling and a range of integrated sexual and reproductive health services. In addition, Mary also conducts on the job training to other facilities which are providing services for the PPFN model. "The model used by PPFN is successful because the services we provide are free for those in need, the providers are motivated and the community leaders are also involved in the implementation. Also, the commodities and equipment are always available." As seen above, Mary administers an implant to Bukola Akami, who has one baby. The number of new contraceptive users has dramatically increased by 400,000 in less than a year as a result of PPFN's outreach and service delivery. Yetunde, 26, like Bukola, is a client with a young baby and was also seeking family planning. She says: "I don't want to have another baby in the next three years. I have a lot of things I want to do and I want to have time to take care of my children. My baby is really affecting my work and I always have to leave her with my mother-in-law. I will be recommending PPFN's family planning to my friends so they can also know what to do when they don't want to get pregnant again." The team Read more about the team behind Nigeria's amazing success

"As a child I loved the medical profession so much. I always wanted to go with my aunt to the hospital for her antenatal check-ups. The neat and well-tailored uniform of the health workers always caught my eyes. And I knew one day, I would be wearing one of those uniforms serving my community.” Latifat Balogun explains how her childhood experiences led her to decide to train and work as a Community Health Extension Worker with the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), where she has worked for 20 years. She plays an integral part in delivering a wide range of services to women in her community. Here she is about to treat Zainab Akinsola, 52-years-old, who is waiting to have cervical cancer screening during a PPFN outreach programme at the Eni Ayo clinic in Ibadan, South West Nigeria. As a result of the strong integrated service delivery, non-contraceptive services increased from 42,700 in 2014 to 226,000 in 2015. Latifat's colleague, Adeyinka, is a faith-based health worker who encouraged a friend to undergo cervical cancer screening. "I counselled her and she went for screening, not knowing that she was going to test positive. If it wasn't for PPFN she might have died of cancer. I so nearly lost a friend. So I cannot forget that day. But now my friend is bouncing up and down, so excited about the project! During our last outreach she brought so many people."   The team Read more about the team behind Nigeria's amazing success

"How do I feel about my role? I'm excited!" Emiade Kudirat, 24, is a Community Health Extension Worker doing outreach with the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) for the last 18 months. She specializes in the Sayana Press - a three-month, progestin-only injectable contraceptive favoured for its convenience in administration and portability. "I go from house-to-house to provide health education and introduce family planning services. I do counselling and provision of these services too. The PPFN model can really reduce the mortality rate of women in the community. We're taking the clinic to women at the market, to their homes and to their work." One patient, 24-year-old Bukola Polpoola, says she is happy that her treatment was free and easy. "In my village we don’t have any information about this. At first I was afraid it would stop me from getting pregnant again. I’d heard stories of side effects. I’m a nurse and even I began to wonder about it. But I called the clinic and they counselled me and reassured me.” She talked to her partner before she decided to get an implant. Now, she says, she’d recommend it to anyone. "I would be happy to spread the word in my village. Taking this will help you plan your life. For example, you know that for the next two years you can’t get pregnant and you’ll be able to plan your life properly because an unwanted pregnancy can stop you from getting an education or a job. This removes that fear for a time."   The team Read more about the team behind Nigeria's amazing success

"I find this work very interesting. I love to interact with the women in the markets. And I get to work all day with my 10-month-old baby, Bejide, with me!" Olusula, 40, is a Community Health Extension Worker, conducting outreach for the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN). In 2014, PPFN received a one year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through IPPF. The purpose of the grant was to expand family planning and reproductive health services. PPFN used this grant to improve on its current model of service delivery known as the Cluster model. PPFN piloted a successful project over 9 months around family planning. This project exceeded targets significantly and has the potential to be rolled out in Nigeria and other countries. "I refer clients through vouchers to the facility of their choice for long acting and reversible contraceptive methods too", explains Olusula. She works closely with her local community providing information and choice about contraceptive methods. Women and men are able to make informed decisions that ensure suitability to them and their circumstances. Choice promotes convenience and acceptability. "This PPFN outreach and service model will reduce a lot of abortions in our community. It also encourages women to space their children and lets them do the other things they want."   The team Read more about the team behind Nigeria's amazing success

"We capture the data directly into this app. It maps out what the demand will be and ensures that we never run out of those supplies.” Monitoring and evaluation officer, Babatunde, is responsible for ensuring the supply of contraceptives for all the cluster facilities. "My job entails the use of a mobile app built for direct data information capture (DDIC). I created an account for each of the 10 facilities that were under the Clusterplus Model. Before I stock up their store, I audit their supplies and can review their monthly report via the app. I put this into the mobile app as well as the commodities I have supplied them. Every two months, the app will forecast what a particular facility will need based on the contraceptive demand.” "I provided training on the mobile app for the store keepers at the facilities we worked with. All through the nine months of the Clusterplus Project, no facility ever ran out. This meant family planning methods were always available to those that needed them.” Babatunde has developed a wealth of knowledge about family planning and the many methods available. Clients favour long-acting methods Implanol and the IUCD. Two of Babatunde's colleagues Afolabi and Olufemi tell us they have both had some very memorable experiences during their careers as Community Health Extension Workers. Afolabi, 32, says the crux of her work is in breaking down the meaning of family planning to rural communities. "I discovered lots of misconception and misinformation, fears and rumors about family planning. But my job is to educate them on the benefits of family planning and allay their fears. We keep educating them and breaking down the 'walls' they have built around family planning methods, like the false thinking that implants require an operation." "I so much look forward to the outreach sessions. It is a time to help women make better choices that will help them plan for their family and future. The fact that the family planning method is administered free has contributed to its high level of acceptance by the people." "In some of our communities, the people are so poor that they can't feed themselves properly. Let alone to have money for family planning. Poverty is real and not planning your family, escalates the challenges of having a poor quality of life. No money should mean fewer children. But the reverse is the case and poverty goes together with low level of education." Olufemi agrees. "I counselled a woman who I thought was 50-years-old. But I was surprised to find out she was just 29-years-old and had 12 children. The burden and labour of delivering 12 children could be seen all over her". "It was a pathetic case for me. I imagined, how can a 29-year-old have 12 children? We spoke about the different family planning methods available. She decided to have a long term method that will last for five years. "Months later, she called me to thank me. I was so happy knowing that she appreciated it. Because I wondered, how will she raise all those children without a good livelihood? I was glad to have contributed to helping her plan her family." The team Read more about the team behind Nigeria's amazing success

"We saw changes, broke barriers, removed myths. My joy will be to see this approach rolled out across the country. I am to be helping and empowering women in our rural communities to make informed choices about their health." Ambibola is a programme officer for IPPF's Member Association in Nigeria, working on the ambitious Cluster Plus model. “The project was a one-stop shop which brought services together. So a woman could have screening for breast and cervical cancer, counselling and have access to all methods of family planning at the same place. Also if a woman was detected with early stage of cervical cancer, we were able to carry out a curative operation." "Our success is due to our grassroots approach. We asked the communities to nominate the community health workers they would like to work with. These workers go into the community to counsel people about their health issues. This gave the communities a sense of ownership and kept them fully engaged.” "We also held meetings with traditional and religious leaders who then went into the community to tell people about our projects. Now many private centres want to adopt our approach. In these communities the rate of teenage and unwanted pregnancies has gone down, maternal and abortion mortality has also been cut. We were able to take family planning to the doorsteps of the women in our rural communities the ones who needed family planning but couldn't afford it."   The team Read more about the team behind Nigeria's amazing success

Cyclone Winston that devastated Fiji was the strongest to ever hit the South Pacific. IPPF’s humanitarian response there is part of our SPRINT Initiative, funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. My name is Elenoa Male and I live in the village of Navala. At the time of Cyclone Winston I was seven-months pregnant. It was already very hard trying to keep my other three children safe. I was alone with them because my husband went out hunting before the cyclone hit. Just before the time of the cyclone, my family was living between our traditional bure (thatched house) and a tin-roofed house. When the warnings first came, I decided to move my family from the bureto to the tin-roofed house. I realised that it would be hard to go to school where the evacuation centre was because I was pregnant. I told the kids we were sleeping under the bed. After we had dinner we prayed and we told God that now it is your will and we ask for your protection. So we lay down, and then my husband arrived and asked for the kids. I told him that we are all lying down under the bed. He said we really didn't know how strong the cyclone would be, but I told him to shut up and prepare for it. We all lay under the bed for hours. All I could hear was the strong winds. Once the winds died down, I came out but found our bure house was completely destroyed. I was sad because we need the bure for relaxation because of its coolness. I received a dignity kit from IPPF containing clothes for my children along with toothpaste and brushes, and this helped a lot in the weeks after Cyclone Winston. What I needed the most was for my kids to be fed properly and to wear good clothes. It really helped us a lot.   Stories Read more stories about our work in Fiji after the Cyclone Winston

Cyclone Winston, which devastated Fiji, was the strongest to ever hit the South Pacific. IPPF’s humanitarian response there was carried out with our Member Association, the Reproductive & Family Health Association of Fiji, and is part of our SPRINT Initiative, funded by the Australian Government. My name is Verenaisi Katerina. I have five children and we live in a remote village in the Ba Highlands. At the time the cyclone hit we were all living in a timber house and I was pregnant. I’ve lived in a bure (traditional timber house with a thatched grass roof) all my life, I’m so used to living in a bure, I’m not used to living in a tin-roofed house. We tried to be prepared when the cyclone came. But we had to all rush to the evacuation centre when the roof blew off our house. My whole family was scared, our house was flooded and our crops were all damaged. My daughter was covering her eyes and ears and crying for help. While I started preparing to move to the local school to take shelter, my husband went to get us some food. I was really, really afraid. I was so worried about my kids. I told my husband not to be late and to help me out with the kids going down to the school. In the end, I managed to get my children to the school on my own, and my husband joined us later. While my family took shelter, lots of other homes in Navala were destroyed. We were lucky: most of their possessions were blown away, but some managed to survive, and our home was damaged, but remained standing. When we came back the next day, my husband tried to start repairing the kitchen so that we could move back. We had a small stove that we were using, and we made a small kitchen so at least we could cook. My husband could only get us what was left over from the farm and that’s basically what we were living on. We had to eat a lot of flour products, a lot of rice, because our farm was badly damaged. I received a dignity kit from IPPF and found it extremely helpful, particularly in clothing my children and the baby. Some of it was worn on the very same day we received it. I later took part in a family planning session conducted by IPPF. I learned a lot from the workshop on that day. I told myself, this is it. I’m only going to have five kids. Having to go through that experience of Cyclone Winston, if I had more children, then it might have been more difficult, too late, for me to run up to that school for shelter. I have had a talk with my husband and we have decided that this one is my last. My fifth is my last.   Stories Read more stories about our work in Fiji after the Cyclone Winston

Cyclone Winston, which devastated Fiji, was the strongest to ever hit the South Pacific. IPPF’s humanitarian response there was carried out with our Member Association, the Reproductive & Family Health Association of Fiji, and is part of our SPRINT Initiative, funded by the Australian Government. 22-year-old Sulueti arrived in the village one week after the cyclone was over. She was shocked - there was nothing left apart from the foundation of the house apart from that everything was gone. She hadn't expected it to be so bad. Her 59-year-old mother, had been sick and alone during the cyclone and she was traumatised as had never experienced a storm like that before. They tried slowly to start rebuilding a small house for them to move back into and out of the community hall. It was a difficult time because Sulueti was four-months pregnant. She managed to see a doctor three times while staying in the community hall, but there were no proper examinations or ultrasounds during this time. The delivery was fine in a maternity hospital. She received a dignity kit from IPPF and received baby supplies for post-delivery, everything that was required for a new mother to care for a baby was in the kit. IPPF went to visit her in her home and gave advice on family planning - she is taking injectables now because she doesn’t want any more children. Stories Read more stories about our work in Fiji after the Cyclone Winston