Nearly Three-Fold Increase in Contraceptive Use in Three Years

Preliminary data from a new national survey show a dramatic rise in use of modern contraception among married women in Rwanda, Africa’s most densely populated country: from 10% in 2005 to 27% in 2008. The data are included in IntraHealth’s new report, Family Planning in Rwanda: How a Taboo Topic Became Priority Number One, written by Julie Solo and funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Family Planning in Rwanda documents how the government and development partners have overcome social and cultural barriers to family planning.

The preliminary data, from a forthcoming MEASURE Demographic and Health Survey, were released by Rwanda’s National Institute of Statistics on May 30. In addition to the gain in modern contraceptive use, the data show a decrease in Rwanda’s fertility rate and significant declines in the country’s mortality rates for infants and children-under-five. IntraHealth has collaborated with the Rwandan government and local NGOs since the late 1980s to improve family planning services and strengthen the health workforce and systems.