Urban Thrive Project (UTP): Increasing coverage and uptake of voluntary family planning in emergent towns and cities in Uganda

In this Urban Thrive Project (UTP), we aim to increase coverage and uptake of voluntary family planning (VFP) in emergent Ugandan cities by: exploring the coverage of VFP and associated barriers or facilitators; and developing and implementing a scalable model that enhances provision and use of VFP. The goal is to contribute to reducing unmet need and increasing use of modern FP in Uganda. Rapid urbanization is a global challenge especially in Sub Saharan Africa. The complexities and heterogeneity in service delivery settings or health infrastructure of urban spaces affect capacity to provide optimal services. Women and adolescent girls are particularly at a high risk for unplanned pregnancies, which pushes them into poverty. There is an imperative need for innovative approaches to deliver or scale-up FP services that overcome barriers faced by urban dwellers, towards achievement of Agenda 2030 and sustaining impact.
Our big question is what interventions can effectively be packaged and delivered to increase uptake of VFP and promote urban thriving. We will thus develop an innovative and scalable model for FP service delivery that will ensure access to quality VFP in an equitable, affordable, institutionalized and sustainable manner. Using participatory approaches, we will co-design and implement a tailored package of interventions with Ministry of Health, local authorities, providers and communities. These will include educating and dissemination information through community groups, media and social networks; building capacity of providers, strengthening availability of commodities and strengthen community-based services including use of non-health actors. We will also support urban leaders for better governance/management of FP services in a sustainable and scalable model. If successful, we hope that the developed model will inform the Uganda urban health policy but also inform scale-up in other urban settings in Uganda and in similar settings.