Session at NGO Forum Berlin: Breaking down the Barriers!

Female Condom Advocacy and Programming: Breaking down the Barriers!

Tuesday, 1st of September 2009 from 18:00 to 19:30, in room Estrel Hall C.
This session was part of the Global Partners in Action: NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development in Berlin (2-4 September 2009)

Panelists

Musimbi Kanyoro, Director, Population and Reproductive Health Program, David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Ilze Smit, Advocacy Officer for Universal Access to Female Condoms Joint Programme, World Population Foundation
Kimberly Whipkey, Senior Associate for Advocacy and Outreach, Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) and Prevention Now! Campaign

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The female condom is currently the only existing prevention method designed for women to initiate that provides dual protection against HIV/STIs and unintended pregnancy. Despite high acceptability and wide benefits for women and men, female condoms remain underfunded, under-programmed and under-utilized.

At this session, panelists and participants discussed the following questions: What is the current state of affairs of the female condom? What are the barriers for universal access? What are examples of successful female condom programming, policy advocacy and network-building? What can we do as NGO participants to make a difference?

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Background information
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) on maternal and child mortality and morbidity rates, as well as HIV/AIDS will not be attained if existing technologies, such as the female condom, remain out of reach of women who need it. Since gender inequity is an important driver of the HIV epidemic, women and girls face the consequences of unprotected sex and bear a huge burden of unwanted pregnancy. Universal access to female condoms therefore deserves to be prioritized.

The female condom has been tested in numerous pilot projects and studies have repeatedly shown high levels of acceptability for female condoms. However, little has been done in making this commodity accessible. High prices (up to 30 times the price of the male condom) and very limited or irregular access have inhibited the female condom from becoming an accepted reproductive health commodity. This is a missed opportunity and cannot be justified, since the female condom is the only female- initiated method that offers dual protection: it protects both against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

For more information contact: ms. Ilze Smit

website Forum: Global NGO Forum

Knowledge Base

Countries in this article

Germany

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!

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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

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"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.

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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