{"id":8292,"date":"2025-09-19T11:33:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T15:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/?post_type=essay&p=8292"},"modified":"2025-10-09T12:51:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:51:15","slug":"investing-in-women-cote-divoires-commitment-to-free-family-planning","status":"publish","type":"essay","link":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/impact-stories\/investing-in-women-cote-divoires-commitment-to-free-family-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Investing in Women: C\u00f4te d’Ivoire’s Commitment to Free Family Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Alongside making contraceptive services accessible to women at health clinics, Pathfinder supports efforts across communities in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/em> to increase awareness about contraception and where to get it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey to free family planning services across C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire began with the voice of one very passionate woman: a midwife working at the regional hospital in Agboville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Pathfinder team first met with her in 2017 to discuss our new postpartum family planning program, she didn’t mince words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cChildbirth services are free. Immediate postpartum family planning should also be free so that all women can access it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In 2011, the government had made antenatal care and childbirth monitoring free to prevent maternal mortality\u2014but family planning, despite its proven impact on saving mothers\u2019 lives, still came at a cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The small cost of an implant (US$2) or an injectable (US$1)\u2014the two most popular contraceptives\u2014was a formidable barrier for many, especially young women and girls. This was a heartbreaking reality reflected in the data, which showed that only 6% of postpartum women were able to take a modern contraceptive method home after giving birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the midwife\u2019s insight, we spoke with dozens of other midwives across 30 facilities in 7 districts\u2014and the message was consistent: cost was the primary barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free family planning advocacy campaign<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With this compelling evidence, we joined forces with several partners\u2014civil society organizations focused on reproductive health, EngenderHealth<\/a>, and PSI<\/a>. <\/strong>Together, we launched a powerful advocacy campaign<\/a> in 2019, positioning family planning as a critical tool for curbing maternal deaths, improving women\u2019s health and autonomy, and accelerating national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government listened. In September 2021, the Ministry of Health began a pilot program in Agboville health district, making all contraceptives\u2014not just postpartum and postabortion methods\u2014free of charge.  Contraceptive use rates increased significantly in Agboville\u2014and we saw notable uptake among adolescents and youth who made up 52 percent of new family planning users. This success was the proof the government needed. It immediately formed a national committee to develop a budget and mobilize resources for a full-scale national rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, the Ministry of Health signed into law a national free family planning policy and is committed to national scale-up across all 113 districts of the country. As part of its FP2030 commitment, the government has committed over $4 million each year to purchasing contraceptives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local civil society must continue to mobilize around this commitment to ensure follow-through.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gates Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation continue to supplement government support by contributing to the rollout of free family planning services in 98 health districts with technical assistance from Pathfinder, strengthening the government’s efforts to ensure equitable and sustainable access to reproductive health care.  This not only includes ensuring the availability of contraceptive methods but also training health providers on strong data monitoring and collection practices to build evidence for the free family planning program and show its true impact on women\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For women in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, it\u2019s a big win. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there is still a lot of work to do in reaching women in rural areas that live far from health facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we live through a time where global resources for contraceptive access shrink, it is essential that governments increase their budgets for family planning, finding innovative ways to mobilize resources domestic, international organizations, and the private sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this year, Pathfinder and the C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire Ministry of Health will convene a roundtable discussion with key partners to discuss ways of working together and ensure the sustainability of these efforts. <\/em>Stay tuned for updates on our social media channels!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investir dans les femmes : l’engagement de la C\u00f4te d’Ivoire en faveur de la gratuit\u00e9 des services de planification familiale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Le chemin vers la gratuit\u00e9 des services de planning familial en C\u00f4te d’Ivoire a commenc\u00e9 gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la voix d’une femme tr\u00e8s engag\u00e9e : une sage-femme travaillant \u00e0 l’h\u00f4pital r\u00e9gional d’Agboville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lorsque l’\u00e9quipe Pathfinder l’a rencontr\u00e9e pour la premi\u00e8re fois en 2017 afin de discuter de notre nouveau programme de planification familiale post-partum, elle n’a pas m\u00e2ch\u00e9 ses mots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00ab Les services d’accouchement sont gratuits. La planification familiale post-partum imm\u00e9diate devrait \u00e9galement \u00eatre gratuite afin que toutes les femmes puissent y avoir acc\u00e8s. \u00bb<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

En 2011, le gouvernement avait rendu gratuits les soins pr\u00e9natals et le suivi de l’accouchement afin de pr\u00e9venir la mortalit\u00e9 maternelle, mais la planification familiale, malgr\u00e9 son impact av\u00e9r\u00e9 sur la survie des m\u00e8res, restait payante.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le co\u00fbt modique d’un implant (2 dollars am\u00e9ricains) ou d’un contraceptif injectable (1 dollar am\u00e9ricain), les deux contraceptifs les plus populaires, constituait un obstacle consid\u00e9rable pour beaucoup, en particulier les jeunes femmes et les adolescentes. Cette r\u00e9alit\u00e9 d\u00e9chirante se refl\u00e9tait dans les donn\u00e9es, qui montraient que seulement 6 % des femmes en post-partum pouvaient utiliser une m\u00e9thode contraceptive moderne apr\u00e8s l’accouchement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suite \u00e0 l’observation de la sage-femme, nous avons discut\u00e9 avec des dizaines d’autres sages-femmes dans 30 formation sanitaire r\u00e9partis dans 7 districts, et le message \u00e9tait le m\u00eame : le co\u00fbt \u00e9tait le principal obstacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forts de ces preuves convaincantes, nous avons uni nos forces \u00e0 celles de plusieurs partenaires : des organisations de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 civile ax\u00e9es sur la sant\u00e9 reproductive, EngenderHealth et PSI. Ensemble, nous avons lanc\u00e9 une campagne de sensibilisation percutante en 2019, pr\u00e9sentant la planification familiale comme un outil essentiel pour r\u00e9duire la mortalit\u00e9 maternelle, am\u00e9liorer la sant\u00e9 et l’autonomie des femmes et acc\u00e9l\u00e9rer le d\u00e9veloppement national.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le gouvernement nous a \u00e9cout\u00e9s. En septembre 2021, le minist\u00e8re de la Sant\u00e9 a lanc\u00e9 un programme pilote dans le district sanitaire d’Agboville, rendant gratuits tous les contraceptifs, et pas seulement les m\u00e9thodes post-partum et post-avortement.  Le taux d’utilisation des contraceptifs a consid\u00e9rablement augment\u00e9 \u00e0 Agboville, et nous avons constat\u00e9 une adoption notable chez les adolescents et les jeunes, qui repr\u00e9sentaient 52 % des nouveaux utilisateurs de services de planification familiale. Ce succ\u00e8s \u00e9tait la preuve dont le gouvernement avait besoin. Il a imm\u00e9diatement form\u00e9 un comit\u00e9 national charg\u00e9 d’\u00e9laborer un budget et de mobiliser des ressources pour un d\u00e9ploiement national \u00e0 grande \u00e9chelle. Ce succ\u00e8s a \u00e9t\u00e9 la preuve dont le gouvernement avait besoin. Il a imm\u00e9diatement form\u00e9 un comit\u00e9 national charg\u00e9 d’\u00e9laborer un budget et de mobiliser des ressources pour un d\u00e9ploiement national \u00e0 grande \u00e9chelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En 2024, le minist\u00e8re de la Sant\u00e9 a promulgu\u00e9 une politique nationale de planification familiale gratuite et s’est engag\u00e9 \u00e0 la mettre en \u0153uvre \u00e0 l’\u00e9chelle nationale dans les 113 districts du pays. Dans le cadre de son engagement FP2030, le gouvernement a allou\u00e9 plus de 4 millions de dollars par an \u00e0 l’achat de contraceptifs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La soci\u00e9t\u00e9 civile locale doit continuer \u00e0 se mobiliser autour de cet engagement afin d’en garantir la mise en \u0153uvre.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Fondation Gates et la Fondation Hewlett continuent de compl\u00e9ter le soutien du gouvernement en contribuant au d\u00e9ploiement de services gratuits de planification familiale dans 98 districts sanitaires gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l\u2019assistance technique de Pathfinder, renfor\u00e7ant ainsi les efforts de l\u2019\u00c9tat de C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire pour garantir l\u2019acc\u00e8s \u00e9quitable et durable \u00e0 la sant\u00e9 reproductive. Cela consiste non seulement \u00e0 garantir la disponibilit\u00e9 des m\u00e9thodes contraceptives, mais aussi \u00e0 former les prestataires de soins de sant\u00e9 \u00e0 des pratiques rigoureuses de suivi et de collecte de donn\u00e9es afin de constituer des preuves pour le programme gratuit de planification familiale et de montrer son impact r\u00e9el sur la vie des femmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pour les femmes de la C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, c’est une grande victoire. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mais il reste encore beaucoup \u00e0 faire pour atteindre les femmes des zones rurales qui vivent loin des formations sanitaires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 l’heure o\u00f9 les ressources mondiales pour l’acc\u00e8s \u00e0 la contraception diminuent, il est essentiel que les gouvernements augmentent leurs budgets consacr\u00e9s \u00e0 la planification familiale et trouvent des moyens innovants de mobiliser les ressources domestique, des organisations internationales et du secteur priv\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En marge de l’Assembl\u00e9e g\u00e9n\u00e9rale des Nations unies de cette ann\u00e9e, Pathfinder et le minist\u00e8re ivoirien de la Sant\u00e9 organiseront une table ronde avec des partenaires cl\u00e9s afin de discuter des moyens de collaborer et d\u2019assurer la p\u00e9rennit\u00e9 de ces efforts. Restez \u00e0 l’\u00e9coute pour les derni\u00e8res nouvelles sur nos r\u00e9seaux sociaux !<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8293,"template":"","class_list":["post-8292","essay","type-essay","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay\/8292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/essay"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}