USAID Launches First “Family of Birth Spacing Products” for Afghanistan Market

Kabul, Afghanistan — Dr. E. Anne Peterson, MD, MPH, the Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Global Health at USAID, announced May 6 the launch of Afghanistan’s first line of birth spacing products packaged and marketed specifically for Afghan families. Dr. Peterson made the announcement during an official ceremony held at the Ministry of Health Auditorium in Kabul. Dr. Peterson was joined by Her Excellency the Minister of Health Sohaila Seddiq and USAID’s Deputy Mission Director Robert Wilson, along with senior Afghan Government officials, the donor and non-governmental organization communities, as well as representatives from the private sector.

This FP program was funded by USAID and is being implemented by Population Services International/Afghanistan (PSI). The nationwide birth spacing education campaign will provide a family of birth spacing products, including Number One Condoms, OK oral contraceptives, and OK injectable contraceptives, to be sold at subsidized prices through pharmacies and other appropriate retail outlets. The products are designed to meet the unique needs of Afghan women, for whom access to such products through the private sector has been limited or nonexistent throughout most of the country.

In a country with the world’s highest maternal mortality rate and the fourth highest child mortality rate, the products and information will allow Afghans to better space the births of their children and improve the lives of both mothers and their children. The campaign is being introduced in direct response to the alarming state of reproductive health in Afghanistan, where the female life expectancy of 47 years is one of the lowest in the world and maternal mortality rate of 1 in 15 is the highest. The maternal mortality ratio in Afghanistan is 1,900 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births – nearly two women die for every 100 babies born. Each year, 23,000 Afghan women die from maternal causes, contributing to a cycle of poverty for Afghan families. And a woman faces this risk again and again, each time she becomes pregnant. Therefore, the cumulative – or lifetime – risk of maternal death is even higher. One in six women will die from maternal causes in her lifetime. This is higher than most anywhere else in the world. The spacing of births not only decreases maternal mortality but also benefits the health of young children who are most vulnerable during their early years when they require the full attention of a parent.

A 2002 article in USA Today reported that “…Afghans widely agree on the need for more birth control, the men even more than the women.”

A media campaign will support the products with the message “Be a Number One/OK family, live a comfortable life.” Number One is sponsoring the Afghan Top 40 music show broadcast on Radio Arman. Promising sales of Number One Condoms during a four-month pilot project in Herat, Mazaar-e-Sharif, Nangrahar, and Kabul Provinces offer a clear indication of both acceptance and unmet demand for FP products.