Men take the lead in family planning

 

By Allan Olingo

Reproductive health is a lifelong concern; it is not just a woman’s issue but it affects the family life. This is because a woman’s reproductive health status has an impact on her family and marriage. So for healthier decisions, couples must talk to each other.

It is for this reason that a male driven group in a church in Makongeni, Nairobi, is highlighting the man’s role in family planning through encouraging men to attend family planning clinics with their wives and also helping the men understand the methods and address their concerns.

According to Ben Mutuku, the chairman of the Men Family Planning Champions group, they realised that adverse reproductive health issues that crop up in marriage, including unplanned pregnancy, family conflicts and sexually transmitted infections, are as a result of ignorance.

Opened our eyes

“Some of us were trained about family planning by Aphia-plus. This opened our eyes and we realised that our community and parishioners lacked knowledge. We decided to spread the message among our parishioners hence the formation of this group last year,” says Mutuku.

It is men who can dispel myths and misconceptions about family planning and reproductive health when they are well informed, he says.

“When we started, our objective was to highlight the man’s role in reproductive health. We have been aggressive in making men understand the family planning methods. We encourage them to accompany their wives to the clinics for more information and they are doing it.”

Currently, the group has 400 members and the activities have now widened to include counselling, HIV and Aids training, handling domestic violence and ensuring that men are now fully in charge and responsible for their families.

Woman’s role

“It is  interesting that we are already seeing results. We are proud when we visit clinics and find couples being enlightened  on reproductive health issues. This was previously sort of a taboo and a woman’s role,” says Mutuku.

Rev Caleb Musyimi of the Redeemed Gospel Church Makongeni, and also a member of the group, says by working closely with nongovernmental and community-based organisations,

government agencies, and public and private sector institutions, they have managed to reach the wider Makongeni community with reproductive health information and services, including contraceptives and counselling in maternal and child healthcare.

Share knowledge

“We are proud to have pioneered the Makongeni community effort to identify and train male champions, who in turn promote family planning and campaign against gender-based violence as well as talk about HIV,” says Musyimi, who is also a counsellor.

The men hope to share their knowledge with more men across the country.

“When we went through the training, we realised that none of us had an idea of family planning before. We had to share the knowledge through our group,” says Mutuku.

Musyimi says that as a man, you need to understand the basics of reproductive health and specifically family planning.

For example, a wife would be taking the pill and she has side effects yet the man has no idea. Knowing the method of family planning she is using is important for the family as the man can suggest she tries another, says Musyimi.

During one of their regular training, the men champions are  accompanied by their wives. They freely discuss these issues and the audience is captivated, if not encouraged to follow the example.

Suggestion box

In the church, there is a suggestion box, where couples write anonymously and seek advice on reproductive health issues. The champions then respond either through training or during a church service.

“As a church, we always try to let couples understand that these reproductive health issues are decisions not to be left to an individual but a family. Through sharing this knowledge, we have reached many families,” says Musyimi.

According to Michael Onyango, a counsellor and trainer with the group, it’s a little difficult to get men to come out and embrace this initiative but once you make then understand the importance of their role, then they become enthusiastic and the right ambassadors for spreading the news.

“Through the church, we pass the message to the masses. It’s also a neutral avenue where you can freely discuss family matters and include issues to do with reproductive health and HIV and Aids issues,” says Onyango.

For a stable family, planning is key and the women cannot do it alone. It’s the role of such groups and the church to step in and impart knowledge, which will translate to healthy, stable and happier families.