Everyday politics and practices of family planning in eastern DRC, the case of South Kivu

Abstract

This briefing presents the findings of a research project observing the implementation of the Provincial Multi-sector Strategy for Family Planning (PMSSFP) 2014 – 2020 in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Bukavu, Walungu and Kabare South and North. The NMSSFP is an integral part of the DRC’s National Strategy on Sexual and Reproductive Health (NSSRH). It seeks to increase the uptake of modern contraceptives from 6.5% to 19% by 2020 and to ensure access to contraceptives to an additional 2.1 million women by 2020. This research had two main aims: To bring to light the PMSSFP’s main implementation challenges from the perspective of governmental, religious medical institutions and local international non-governmental organisations (INGOs); To analyse the effectiveness of the FP programme from the perspective of men, women and youth as service receivers. The study finds that maternal death, mortality of children under five and teenage pregnancy are higher in South Kivu than the rest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to continuous conflicts by armed groups in the rural areas and a prolonged transition to recovery in Bukavu city. This research is part of the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC) programme