Dazzled with new ideas

Published on 2009-09-02 by Ilze Smit

Dazzled with new ideas at the NGO-forum ICPD+15:

The Satellite Session at the NGO Forum on ICPD +15: Female Condom Programming and Advocacy, Breaking Down the Barriers! brought together three perspectives on current barriers for Universal accessibility of the female condom.

ilze_berlijn_01

In an inspiring session, a strongly committed audience, consisting of representatives of as much of 14 c

ountries came up with many ideas of breaking down the barriers.

The barriers, or “opportunities” as we like to call them, were identified by Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro (Packard Foundation), Kimberley Whipkey (CHANGE) and myself (Ilze Smit, advocacy officer of the UAFC Joint Programme):

1. Lack of variety in female condoms models

2. The price of the female condom, which we consider to be too high

3. Joint and informed advocacy like the PreventionNow! Campaign are needed to get female condoms high on the international and national policy agenda. Now there are male gate keepers among policy makers that will not prioritize universal accessibility of female condoms. A strong joint voice of civil society is needed to break this ignorance.

4. The name Female Condom is seen as a barrier. It is associated with the male condom while the female condom is something for women. In many countries it is branded without even mentioning the word condom. In Nigeria it is called Elegance and in Cameroon Protective.

5. If we want to inform other women about the female condom, it should be done in a private safe setting. Discussing the use and experience with the female condom is always related to talking about sex.

Many came to us after the presentation and shared with us the current situation in their country. One big recommendation was to involve men from the beginning in female condom programming. Make them responsible!

Female condoms should be something pleasurable. If marketed as a pleasure product it will create and increase demand.

Equally important to demand creation is availability. If people cannot rely on the availability of a prevention method, they will lose confidence.

To get donor agencies and international organizations involved, we have to be able to provide them with testimonials en other stories. This should include stories and pictures of all women, young and old, from the South and North, married women and sex workers ect.

We will start this story gathering on this website very soon. But please feel free to share with us your experiences with female condoms in your country, female condom advocacy or programming. Do not hesitate and share it with us at info@condoms4all.org

ilze_berlijn2

Knowledge Base

Dates in this article

2009-09-02

You need to login or register to leave a comment

All comments

MGRDPR nqlargtzjkcj, [url=http://dcxhvmqucheb.com/]dcxhvmqucheb[/url], [link=http://reqqbpoicsaq.com/]reqqbpoicsaq[/link], http://chtecsooporv.com/

said on 2010-07-20

rrf6Oh bgpbyorytywj, [url=http://ihdoznybbeuz.com/]ihdoznybbeuz[/url], [link=http://uunyabhguyhc.com/]uunyabhguyhc[/link], http://kxmvcvgnlioi.com/

said lymanknap on 2010-08-06

UAFC lobby paper

UAFC has developed a profound advocacy strategy in order to achieve acces to female condoms for all. For background on this strategy and to strengthen your own lobby activities you have access to this paper.

download the document

Breaking down the barriers!

berlijn_01

Ilze Smit of UAFC Joint Programme presented the session Female Condom Programming and Advocacy: Braking down the Barriers! at the NGO Forum ICPD+15.

read her weblog

see the photo's of the Forum

Trainings in Rwanda

1klein_01

"In our daily work in HIV prevention and even in our sexual and reproductive life sessions with potential users, in trainings and advocay, we talk about female condoms as you can see in these photos. I'm pushing to include FC in our major advocay themes. It recently has been included in the Rwanda National NGO forum on AIDS for the four year strategic plan (2009/2012)," says Fortunée Twiyubahe from ACORD/Oxfam International in Rwanda.

2klein

UAFC December newsletter is out

newsletter logo
View our newsletter

Knowledge base live

Part of our new website is the revolutionary knowledge base. This is a repository of concepts related to the main theme of UAFC, the female condom. This repository is organized according to themes, geographic location and time. We invite you to start exploring our knowledge base.

If you feel you have anything to contribute don't hesitate to contact us.

ACMS Website

In Cameroon the Association Camerounaise pour le Marketing (ACMS) works on making Female Condoms available to a large usersgroup. ACMS has its own website, with which it reaches especially young people.

Interview with Victoria Archibong, SFH

"I believe the introduction of the male condoms was relatively easier. This could be because it was easier to target men as the “dominant” party in relationships and the ones who will wear the condoms. There was also a lot of support from donors and IPs. The female condom is regarded more as a “woman thing”. Some men may feel threatened as the female condom will empower women in demonstrating their sexual and reproductive health rights. For Female condom programming, programmers have to be more creative and strategic."

read the interview

"I'm going to use mine"

"The male condom was promoted so hard in advertising, through school education and advocacy – we need the same effort for the female condom," said Farah Karimi, director of Oxfam-Novib at a press conference at the International AIDS Confernce in Mexico City. Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland added: Girls and women need the skills to say, 'if you're not going to use yours then I'm going to use mine' to their sexual partners."

Read the article in Plusnews.

Empower women in Malawi

Sandra Mapemba, national condom programme coordinator at the Reproductive Health Unit (RHU) in the Ministry of Health in Malawi, believes the female condom will empower women to have more control in their sexual relationships, help them protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, as well as unwanted pregnancies.