Maternal mortality and family planning: Reaching the Poorest.

Tanzania has a population of 41.5 million projected to more than double to 85 million by 2050, with women currently having an average of at least five children. The number of couples using modern contraceptive methods has stagnated at around 20%. there is plenty of evidence to show that women would prefer to have fewer children and to space them more widely.

In Tanzania, family planning has not traditionally been seen as a priority and although the government has been very successful in channeling money towards programmes that support a reduction in child mortality, maternal mortality has not improved. Despite successful efforts to persuade the government to double its budget for family planning commodities this year, it is likely the budget will be cut again.

The NGO, Marie Stopes Tanzania (MST) has been working on an ‘Outreach’ program to support women in outlying rural areas in this huge country, assisting women with family planning issues and provide the much needed services and contraceptive methods, that are unavailable, or in very short supply from the Tanzanian Government. MST has over four hundred 'Outreach' sites where family planning services are given free of charge. Composed of teams of four (Nurse, Surgeon, Driver and Administrative nurse) the teams constantly tour the country performing Sterilisations, councelling, administering long term birth control methods, providing condoms and IUCD's, etc.