The East Africa team has secured financial commitments from all of its 14 implementing geographies as it significantly ramps up program implementation in Year 3. Tupange Pamoja is providing integrated community outreaches in urban slums, training community health workers (CHWs) and strengthening health facilities with whole-site orientations, training and quality improvement. And it’s already making an impact as demonstrated by the data below. Across all three East Africa countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), new family planning acceptors increased 34% in implementing health facilities in the first six months of 2018, when compared with the last six months of 2017. Kenya saw the greatest increase – 59% – in the number of new family planning acceptors in the six-month period.

Family Planning Uptake in East Africa

Tupange Facilitates LARC Training for Health Workers

Tupange Pamoja’s LARC training.

As part of their Onsite Mentoring evidence-based approach, Tupange Pamoja facilitated the training of health care workers on long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to increase contraceptive method options in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The team partnered with mentors from the Ministries of Health to conduct a five-day training on the provision of long-acting methods followed by a practicum for all implementing geographies. The training emphasized effective counseling on family planning methods to address myths and misconceptions women may have about LARCs.

Now trainers will coach their peers on the job, until those peers achieve certification. About 200 health care workers are now able to provide these services at facilities implementing Tupange Pamoja.

“I am now motivated to provide LARCs. During six to 12 months after a birth when LAM (lactational amenorrhea) is not effective, most women return to sexual activity and only a few will use a modern contraceptive family planning method.”

– A Nurse Who Attended the Session.

To ensure continuity, the team supported Tanzania by reviewing the training materials used. These materials will also be incorporated into the TCI University (TCI-U) toolkit. Other LARC materials developed for the training will be uploaded to TCI-U, including counselling books, posters and brochures.

Whole-Site Orientations Lead to Quality Care and Respect for Potential Family Planning Clients

In Kenya, Tupange Pamoja conducted whole-site orientations for all facility staff including administrators, family planning providers, antenatal care and labor delivery units and all support staff. The orientation is one of their best-practice interventions and was offered at multiple times to accommodate various work shifts. Importantly, the orientation was tailored to different cadres of workers within the facilities.

“Our job is not just running a facility but also making sure every woman who walks through that door is satisfied with the method and service,” said Dr. Moses Owino, Medical Officer of Health at Embakasi, during one of the graduation sessions following a whole-site orientation in Nairobi.The whole-site orientations help clinics prioritize family planning at every level and ensure that every woman who visits the clinic seeking family planning services is treated with the same respect and quality care.

To date, 1,442 facility staff have participated in whole site orientations in East Africa (438 in Kenya, 695 in Tanzania and 309 in Uganda).


1 Tupange Pamoja Program data

2 Less than 100% reporting rate in specific geographies. TCI Supported facilities Kenya 129, Uganda 70, Tanzania 130

3 Tupange Pamoja Program data

4 Incomplete data for June 2018