Tanzanian women highlight the path from bodily autonomy to sustainable development

ZANZIBAR, United Republic of Tanzania - "When I learned about family planning, I felt like I had control over my life," said Mwanaisha Rajabu, a 28-year-old mother of three living in Fuoni, a village on the Unguja island of Zanzibar, in the United Republic of Tanzania. "It's not just about preventing pregnancy; it's about planning a better future for my family."

Family planning is often regarded as a taboo subject, an issue that is sensitive and even sexual in nature. But Ms. Rajabu's comments highlight the profoundly important role of family planning - and the information, health services and medicines that enable it - to the well-being of women, their children, their futures and their communities.

Family planning is essential to enabling women to choose the timing and number of their children, if they want to have children at all.

For Ms. Rajabu, the ideal family size has always been clear. In a country where the average fertility rate is estimated to be 4.5 children per woman, she says, "I always wanted to have a smaller family. But I didn't know how to access the right information and services."

The need for options

According to the most recent estimates, some 19 per cent of Tanzanian women who are married or in a union have an unmet need for family planning. Yet filling this need is not always simple.

Decades ago, lack of awareness about and access to contraception were leading reasons for not using any; today, it is fear and concerns over potential side effects. To address these issues, a range of methods must be made available, alongside accurate information about the benefits, side effects and efficacy of each.

Though she wanted a smaller family, Ms. Rajabu had not been using modern contraceptives until health educators, working with a community outreach initiative supported by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, explained the various methods available.

After seeking more information from a community health worker, she was able to select an option that suited her needs.
"Family planning has given me the power to choose how many children I want and when to have them," she said.

Tatu Omar Sharif and her husband Juma Hamad Kombo with one of their eight children. The couple decided jointly to use family planning in order to invest in the children they have. © UNFPA Tanzania/Karlien Truyens

A cascade of benefits

The ability to plan ahead enables women like Ms. Rajabu to invest in themselves as well as their children. They can pursue their education, invest in small businesses and allocate resources in ways that improve their health, earning potential and long-term outcomes.

Cumulatively, family planning benefits not only individuals and families but communities as a whole.

"Access to family planning has changed our shehia," said Juma Abdallah, a local community leader, referring to small administrative areas within Zanzibar.

"Families are healthier, and women are more confident in making choices about their futures," he said.

Tatu Omar Sharif is one of those women. She lives in Uondwe, an area on the Pemba island of Zanzibar, with her husband and eight children.

"My husband and I didn't intend to have many children - I was often surprised that I was pregnant again," she described to UNFPA.

She and her husband learned about family planning together at a UNFPA-supported clinic, and saw it as an opportunity to safeguard their children's future.

"We want to use a family planning method so we can take good care of the children we already have."

Nargis Nassor and Othman Maulid also chose to use family planning in order to focus on their two children. © UNFPA Tanzania/Karlien Truyens

Focus on a better life

UNFPA works with the health ministry to strengthen family planning services, including widening the range of contraceptive methods available. These include oral contraceptive pills, long-acting reversible contraceptives, injectables, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and condoms.

From January 2023 to November 2024, with financial support from the United Kingdom, UNFPA delivered enough reproductive health commodities to prevent an estimated 999,000 unintended pregnancies, 271,000 unsafe abortions and 1,300 maternal deaths.

UNFPA also works with governments, NGOs, community-service organizations, faith-based groups, young people and the private sector to strengthen community-based and youth-friendly reproductive health services.

They, like Ms. Rajabu and Ms. Sharif, recognize how reproductive health information and care have benefits that ripple outward from the individual to the family and community, from the present into the future.

"Now," Ms. Rajabu said, "I can focus on giving my children a better life."

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