St Antony’s International Review
Volume 9, Number 2, February 2014
http://www.stair-journal.org/

Community-Based Distribution of Family Planning Services in Humanitarian Settings: Identified Need and Potential from Malakal, South Sudan
Authors: Tanabe, Mihoko; De Jesus, Stacy; Anfinson, Katie; Krause, Sandra; Wiyat, Nhial; Murphy, Maureen; Duop, Joseph
Abstract:
Displacement can increase people’s desire and need for family planning while they simultaneously experience barriers to access. While community-based approaches to the distribution of family planning methods have been well-established and documented in other development contexts since the 1970s, limited documentation exists for community-based distribution (CBD) of contraceptives in humanitarian settings. The Women’s Refugee Commission and American Refugee Committee (ARC) implemented a pilot project on CBD of family planning services in Malakal, South Sudan, to examine whether CBD is applicable and feasible in a humanitarian setting and would enhance people’s access to and use of contraceptives. Through close consultation with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the project was implemented from May 2010-August 2011 in three administrative units in Malakal with a total population of 79,700. In August 2011, a process evaluation was conducted, consisting of a household survey, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and a review of routinely collected data. Qualitative data showed community openness to CBD. Current demand for family planning services appeared to be driven by changing circumstances, including lifestyle changes. Respondents did not naturally link conflict to challenges in obtaining family planning services. Analysis of routinely collected data reflected an increase in uptake at the community level. From the collected data, continued need and existing evidence from development contexts, CBD of family planning services appears feasible and promising, even in a volatile setting.