Everyday politics and practices of family planning in eastern DRC

Abstract

This paper provides a case study of the politics and practices of family planning (FP) in the province of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is underpinned by research exploring the use (and non-use) of family planning services (FPSs) by women and men of reproductive age and young people, via 40 face-to-face one-to-one interviews and six focus-group discussions, along with five focus-group discussions with healthcare employees in various health centres and Panzi Hospital in Bukavu city. Thirty-one qualitative face-to-face interviews and meetings were conducted with policymakers and service providers from the government, churches and international agencies. Furthermore, the research explores education services for young people on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and the actions that government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have taken to increase the demand for FPSs.