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    • News
    • Maternity Matters: Sponsored by MSD for Mothers

    Innovative approaches to improving contraceptive access in Kenya

    What innovative solutions are improving contraceptive uptake and ultimately preventing lives from being lost in childbirth? From Nairobi, Devex takes a look.

    By Devex Editor // 21 November 2019
    Treazer Agutu, an agribusiness student at Kenyatta University, says askNivi means access to reliable information on questions that could be difficult to ask.

    NAIROBI — Myths around contraception that have swirled the corners of polite conversation for decades still trickle into today’s society, and the taboo in Kenya tied to talking about family planning and “women’s issues” means such questions remain strictly “girl talk” and rarely make their way to parents or health practitioners who can provide accurate information and rectify misconceptions.

    The hush-hush nature of the topic means women lack reliable information about the affordability and availability of family planning services that is provided in government clinics and pharmacies, as per Kenya’s national adolescent and sexual reproductive health policy from 2015, which seeks to expand adolescents’ access to modern contraceptives and comprehensive sexual education. Lack of awareness means women often don’t take up a method at all, said Cynthia Kahumbura, marketing lead at Nivi — the organization behind AskNivi, a digital platform launched in Kenya in 2017 with funding support from MSD for Mothers.

    Despite access to contraception being able to reduce maternal deaths by a third, 214 million women worldwide don’t have their contraceptive needs met — 21% of those women are living in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Continue reading the full multimedia feature story to find out what innovative solutions are improving contraceptive uptake.

    Explore the series.

    The Maternity Matters series is sponsored by MSD for Mothers, MSD’s $500 million initiative to help create a world where no woman has to die giving life. The content of this article is the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the official views of MSD. MSD for Mothers is an initiative of Merck & Co., Inc. Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.

    • Global Health
    • Social/Inclusive Development
    • Trade & Policy
    • MSD
    • Kenya
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Devex Editor

      Devex Editor

      Thanks for reading and for your interest in Devex. Sponsored content is produced in collaboration between Devex’s partnerships editorial team and our partners to promote a partner’s work or perspective on a particular issue. It gives actors across the global development sector — including nongovernmental organizations, private sector stakeholders, aid agencies and government institutions — the opportunity to go beyond traditional advertising and tell their stories in an impactful way. If you'd like to learn more about how you can shine a spotlight on a particular issue with Devex, please email advertising@devex.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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