Recently, 365 Senegalese women received family planning counseling and contraceptives, including 288 first-time users, through events sponsored by the Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health/Family Planning/Malaria Project. The week’s  activities, held in two Senegalese districts, included radio broadcasts, community forums and plays, and “Open Door Days” at several health centers and posts to educate people about the availability and range of contraceptive methods, their potential health benefits, and the role of family planning in Islam.

• Radio shows, broadcast during peak listening hours in five districts, featured health care providers and local religious leaders discussing family planning.
• Community forums and skits helped educate people about family planning methods and the availability of contraceptives and counseling.
• Health facilities in five cities held “Open Door Days” during which community members were provided family planning counseling and contraceptives.
• Sixty-seven local Imams shared religious messages in two workshops about the role of family planning in Islam, and workshop facilitators encouraged the Imams to advocate for family planning within their communities.

The Senegal Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health/Family Planning/Malaria Project is funded by USAID and led by IntraHealth International.