Community Outreach: Opening Doors to Increase Family Planning Use

By Private Sector Project for Women's Health - PSP/Jordan

Published: 2009

Although Jordan enjoys favorable population and family health conditions, certain challenges persist in trying to improve the overall health of Jordanian women. Total fertility in Jordan has dropped dramatically since 1983 from 6.6 to its current level of 3.6 in 2007. According to the 2007 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS), 57% of married women are currently using a contraceptive method; the IUD being the most popular method (22%) followed by the pill (8%).

Since 2002, however, the contraceptive use - particularly of modern methods - has stalled; approximately 42% of married women of reproductive age (MWRA) report using a modern method. Moreover, unmet need for family planning - 12% of MWRA - has remained constant during this same time period, with higher unmet need among women with little or no education and among those in the poorest households. Unmet need also varies by governorate, ranging from only 9% in Zarqa to 21% in Ma’an.

In response, the Private Sector Project for Women’s Health (PSP) in Jordan is implementing a comprehensive outreach strategy designed to specifically address the most difficult programmatic challenges in family planning: contacting and changing attitudes among women with the highest unmet need. PSP partnered with two non-government organizations (NGOs) - Circassian Charity Association (CCA) and General Union of Voluntary Societies (GUVS). GUVS was founded in 1959 as a non-profit organization to serve as an umbrella coordinator for all voluntary work in the country and today includes over 1,000 charities. CCA was established in 1932 with a focus on the welfare of indigent Circassians, but in 2002 widened its scope to encompass women's health awareness for all communities in Jordan.

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