Fighting stigma and GBV: This Ugandan group needs your support

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Dear John,

We are excited to let you know about our new Empower to Plan crowdfunding project with Family Medical Point.

Family Medical Point (FMP) is a not-for-profit grassroots healthcare provider that aims to end the stigma and gender-based violence surrounding the use of family planning services in the slums and fishing communities of Abaita Ababiri, Uganda. Gender-based violence associated with the uptake of family planning, and directed towards girls and women, remains a silent evil in many parts of Uganda, often meted by male partners who are against contraception.

Since its launch in 2017, FMP has successfully rolled out family planning services to the communities it works with through a central medical facility, alongside pop-up outreach facilities, that provide sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) and education. FMP has also empowered local women by training them to deliver services. However, the volunteers and staff at FMP know all too well the repercussions that many women and girls face when they try to access family planning services.

Content Warning: Please be aware that the personal stories below mention sexual and domestic violence. Names have been changed to protect the survivors. Family Medical Point and its clients have given consent for the use of their stories.

Joelia's Story

Joelia is a sexual assault survivor who was forcibly married as a child. Her husband paid little attention to her and their children’s wellbeing. Joelia was worried about the possibility of conceiving another child which would affect her ability to run her small business. When she heard about the family planning services offered by Family Medical Point, she decided to get an implant.

Joelia thought her worries had come to an end but when she told her husband about the implant, he reacted violently, and with his male friends, cut the implant out of Joelia’s arm. He beat Joelia so badly that she had to spend two weeks in hospital.

Mary's Story

Mary’s dream to become a teacher was shattered when she was just 13 years old - a man raped her and her life was altered forever. On top of the trauma, Mary was infected with HIV and became pregnant.

Mary is now 17 and one of the young volunteers working with Family Medical Point to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and young people in hard-to-reach communities and slums.

“I have regained my lost hope. Volunteering with Family Medical Point has enabled me to refocus my purpose and I feel more empowered to reclaim what I lost.”

FMP now has an ambitious two-part programme for change. They aim to train 20 on-the-ground peer educators - both women and men - to deliver SRH workshops and contraceptives within slums and fishing communities. The workshops will embed messaging designed to educate men about gender equality and remove the stigma surrounding the use of family planning services. The second part of the programme will include the production of a radio drama show that will depict empowered female characters, consensual relationships, and the safe use of family planning services.

With your help, FMP can continue to help improve the lives of women like Joelia and Mary. Your contribution will help ensure women in these communities can safely access and use family planning services, and fight to end the stigma that endangers women and girls every day.

DONATE NOW

"Hope regained, I can now plan well.”

- Mary, Volunteer at Family Medical Point

Thank you,

Population Matters & Family Medical Point