By Emma Beck, Associate Communications Manager, PSI
In northern Mozambique, PSI’s Vale a Pena team faced a tall task: making contraception relevant to rural married girls aged 10-19 who, for a myriad of reasons, simply didn’t see its value.
For one, perception of contraception as a “family planning” tool often stands between young Mozambican girls with dreams of motherhood and their decision to take up a method. To reframe perceptions, the team needed to broaden the lens by which Vale a Pena presented, and delivered contraceptive counseling.
Research suggests that adolescents with positive aspirations about their futures are more likely to voluntarily use contraception; by extension, programs that present contraception in service of girls’ goals see more girls opting for a contraceptive method of their choice. It’s the basis by which PSI designed its flagship adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) project in Ethiopia – Adolescents 360 (A360)’s Smart Start – and a model ripe for replication in the Mozambican context.
> What is aspirational programming?
> Why bring an adolescent contraceptive program developed for rural Ethiopia to northern Mozambique?
> What can implementers takeaway as they, too, seek to respond to contextual challenges (even amidst COVID-19) through existing ASRH solutions?
Ryan Kelley, PSI Mozambique’s Country Representative, Seyoum Atlie, PSI Ethiopia’s A360 Deputy Director and Mary Phillips, PSI’s Technical Advisor for A360 Ethiopia, offer their take. Read here.
