Zambia – Overview of Country Activities:
In 2002, the Institute for Reproductive Health
was invited by the Population Council’s
Regional Office for East and Southern Africa to
assist in the integration of the Standard Days
Method (SDM) into the “Expanding Contraceptive
Choice and Improving the Quality of Care”
scale-up project. This pilot program in the Copperbelt
Province seeks to increase contraceptive choice
at Ministry of Health clinics, which typically
offer a very limited number of contraceptive options,
and to test a model for scaling up reproductive
health interventions.
Part of the project’s efforts to expand
contraceptive choice includes making available
new or previously unavailable methods at participating
clinics, with the Standard Days Method as one
of the new methods included. An initial training
was conducted by Institute staff, in collaboration
with Copperbelt Provincial Health Office staff
and local consultants. Introducing the SDM also
facilitated collaboration between the Population
Council and faith-based groups, including Catholic
mission hospitals in the Copperbelt Province.
Photo Gallery:
Partners:
- Copperbelt Provincial Health
Office
- Ministry of Health
- Population Council
Country Updates:
Presently, there are 43 health clinics offering
the SDM with over 1,300 users, many of whom had
not previously used family planning. Work is underway
to include the SDM in the national contraceptive
norms, which will facilitate the inclusion of
the SDM in family planning training.
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