By-Liner
World Population Day Op/Ed - July 11, 2008
By Pamela White
July 10, 2008
This year, World Population Day focuses on the importance of helping the world’s people plan their families. The United States shares the world’s commitment to making family planning programs available and accessible to all who want them so that women and men are able to plan their families, effectively space births, and support their children for a brighter future.
International development stands alongside defense and diplomacy as one of the three pillars of American foreign policy, with health interventions as a key element in these pillars. Since the mid-1960s, U.S. Presidents have placed a priority on strategic support for family planning programs throughout the developing world.
The United States Government is the world’s largest family planning bilateral donor, contributing more than $3 billion to other countries for population and health assistance since 1965. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) family planning program is historically one of the most successful components of U.S. foreign assistance.
Since the United States began providing family planning programs more than 40 years ago, the use of modern family planning in the developing world, excluding China, has increased by a factor of four, from less than 10 percent on average to 43 percent. In the 39 countries with the largest USAID-supported programs, the average number of children per family has dropped from more than 6 to 4.1.
Over the years, the U.S. Government has worked closely with the Government of Tanzania, non-government and faith-based organizations, local communities, and other multi-lateral and bilateral donors to ensure that quality family planning services are available to all Tanzanians. The American people support a wide range of activities in Tanzania that aim to expand access to high quality, voluntary family planning services and reproductive health care on a sustainable basis. We work closely with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in several ways to achieve this goal.
To increase knowledge and use of family planning and reproductive health products and services, we communicate through mass media, community outreach, and individual counseling, all of which have reached millions of men and women throughout Tanzania with essential information about family planning. Since 1992, the acceptance of modern family planning services in Tanzania has increased from 7% to over 20%. In 2007 alone USAID programs reached more than 6 million Tanzania with positive family planning messages.
We work to reduce physical and financial barriers to family planning, and train health care providers to improve service quality at all levels of the health care system. During 2007/08, we have trained more than 2,000 health providers with family planning skills in Tanzania.
In order to ensure smooth implementation of programs, the American people support improved family planning policies in such key areas as access and quality, integrating services, systems strengthening, achieving contraceptive security, and supporting initiatives that address gender, poverty, and health equity. USAID Tanzania has worked closely with the Planning Commission in the Office of the President to coordinate population advocacy workshops for high-level Government of Tanzania officials and religious leaders who have issued official statements explaining their stand on modern family planning.
These key interventions not only generate lowered fertility rates and increased use of family planning methods in Tanzania, but have also helped in the fight against HIV/AIDS and contributed to alleviating high levels of maternal and infant mortality. Family planning alternatives improve the health of women and their families, and pave the way to futures that offer more life options and opportunities. Giving all people a life full of hope and opportunity is at the heart of the U.S. Government’s family planning efforts in Tanzania.
Pamela White is a USAID Mission Director