Increasing family planning capacity access and quality: results from EngenderHealth’s ExpandFP Project in Tanzania.

Through the Expand Family Planning (ExpandFP) project EngenderHealth is working to increase access to and use of quality family planning (FP) services in three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Uganda and Tanzania. The project promotes clients’ full free and informed choice of contraceptive method with a focus on expanding the availability and use of long-acting reversible methods of contraception particularly hormonal implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs). Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ExpandFP actively supports the partnership between the donor community and pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price of contraceptives as part of the global FP2020 commitment to support the provision of FP services to an additional 120 million women and girls in the world’s poorest countries by 2020. Designed to the specific contexts and needs within each country the ExpandFP project aims to: Create expand and support FP service delivery by increasing the number of trained providers—especially for implants and IUDs— as well as FP counselors supervisors managers and support personnel; Integrate quality assurance quality improvement and facilitative supervision into all activities; Ensure accurate reporting and use of data for decision making particularly for contraceptive security; Build an enabling environment that supports wide access to FP by offering a full method mix of short-acting long-acting reversible and permanent methods of contraception while prioritizing clients’ rights and choice medical follow-up care and access to implant and IUD removal services on demand; Create demand for and awareness of FP services through dissemination of information education and communication materials client mobilization using community health workers and volunteers and engagement of key community members. (excerpt)