Family Planning Project - Vanuatu

Summary

Aim

• Increase awareness of family planning, contraception and safe sex, including use of condoms, among young people aged 14 to 25 years
• Provide young people a range of family planning clinical services through fixed clinics and outreach services

Progress

• 10,700 people in Port Vila, Tanna, Epi, Paama Islands, Ambae and Maewo Islands provided with contraception
• Nurses and community educators working to raise awareness in schools and communities including church youth groups, inmates in the low risk prison, and students at colleges and travelled to reach isolated communities.
• Reggae Faea, a music festival promoting reproductive and sexual health messages, has been conducted annually attracting over 8,000 young people
• More than 9,000 people have received information on reproductive and sexual health through schools and community based education and community events
• Developed key messages about family planning to be used nationally by Ministry of Health and non-government organisations.
• Five posters in the local language of Bislama have been designed and are distributed during education and community awareness events on 8 islands.
• Key messages promoted by VFHA on a national weekly radio program.

During 2017/18 the project aims to

• continue providing education to secondary school students
• provide family planning clinical services to 3,500 people aged 14-25, living in rural areas, including people with disability.
• Reggae Faea hosted by Vanuatu Family Health Association on Santo in response to local demand
• increase reach to young people on Malekula Island by implementing International Youth Day activities.
• 15 peer educators trained to deliver reproductive and sexual health information

Case Study: Promoting Family Planning through Music

During 2015-16, Vanuatu Family Health Association extended its community awareness activities to engage with young men in a new activity called Family Planning Messages Through Music.

Six local male musicians participated in education about family planning and were then asked to compose songs that contained important messages about contraception that would be relevant to young men as well as women. The musicians took on the task with great enthusiasm and wrote songs about the importance of family planning and the different contraceptive methods available.

Jerry Brown is one of the musicians taking part in the activity. He and his band DropVkal Groove Band sing about life and relationships. "I feel that by giving out messages in my music I can save lives". Jerry says that most of what he knows about contraception he learned from his girlfriend. "We have made a decision about not wanting babies at the moment. I think that family planning is important because if you have too many children you cannot look after them".

Jerry is also concerned about whether Vanuatu can support a bigger population and sees that family planning is important for the whole country.

The songs are now being recorded and will be used in a variety of ways to promote family planning such as during school and community education sessions. VFHA hosts a weekly radio program, talking for 30 minutes about a range of issues including family planning and the songs will be played during the program.