PRH Template for Results Reviews: Expanding Effective Contraceptive Options

The project, funded by USAID, operated from October 2013 to September 2018. Global leadership in family planning and reproductive health policy, advocacy, and services was a key focus area. EECO staff participated in international conferences, including the 16th annual Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition conference in Oslo, Norway, and the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The project also partnered with PSI's Zambian subsidiary, Society for Family Health (SFH), to co-fund the introduction of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG IUS) in public sector clinics in Northern Zambia. The project generated and disseminated knowledge in response to program needs. Formative research in Malawi and Zambia was conducted by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), and the results were shared with the EECO Technical Advisory Group. A comparative report was finalized in June 2016, and dissemination events were held in Zambia, Malawi, and Washington, DC. A manuscript focusing on the Zambia formative research was drafted and reviewed during the reporting period. The project provided support to the field to implement effective and sustainable family planning and reproductive health programs. In Madagascar, the EECO Deputy Director and members of WCG's regulatory team conducted a project launch visit and Avibela regulatory landscape assessment in February 2016. The team met with stakeholders from the Direction Général de la Santé, the Agence Du Medicament De Madagascar (DAMM), and others. It was determined that Avibela would be classified as a pharmaceutical product, and that expedited regulatory review was possible based on the existing SRA approval. The project also launched the Whisper Woman's Condom in Malawi in October 2016 and in Zambia in March 2016. A formal launch ceremony was held in Lilongwe, Malawi, with representatives from the EECO management team, USAID, the Malawian Ministry of Health, NGOs, and civil society. To date, 4,800 condoms have been sold in Malawi and 8,504 have been sold in Zambia. The project also transferred the mHealth website from Every1Mobile to Society for Family Health (SBCC, Y, AFG) in June 2016. The project faced challenges in procurement, with an initial order of 20,000 units of Maximum Diva Woman's Condom failing independent testing due to airburst volumes. WCG's Quality Assurance department worked closely with the manufacturer to identify and correct the issue. The project also procured 60,000 units of Woman's Condoms for Malawi and Zambia, with the second lot failing independent testing due to airburst volumes.