Project assistance completion report : population/family planning support, phase II

The project doubled contraceptive prevalance as planned, induced the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) to include FP as a basic health service, and effected a remarkable change in political attitudes: Moroccan leaders are more aware of linkages between population and development, the Government of Morocco (GOM) openly supports FP programs, and FP appears as a GOM budget line item for the first time in FY 85. Except for commercial distribution, which the GOM did not support, all outputs were achieved. The project: completed the household distribution (VDMS) program in Marrakech Province in 1980 and expanded it to 11 other provinces (with in-home FP services and paramedicalization, 40% of the population in these provinces have regular access to FP services); built and equipped 7 of 10 planned FP referral centers; made oral contraceptives and condoms available at 1,200 MOPH facilities nationwide, at the household level in all VDMS provinces, and in 35 factory workplaces near Casablanca; conducted national fertility and contraceptive prevalence surveys; produced a RAPID computer package; and operationalized a certified National Training Center for Reproductive Health (an important addition to the project), which has averaged 100 voluntary sterilizations monthly and conducted training for all levels of medical personnel. Project trainees included: 800 nurses to practice IUD insertion; 35 nurses and social workers to promote FP in the 35 factories; 100 youth exposed to FP in 2 seminars; 100 women FP motivators; 50 journalists in a seminar on FP in the Arab world; and 30 Ministry of Education Inspector Generals in a 4-day workshop. In all, 2,000 field workers/motivators have been trained. Promotion has included weekly radio broadcasts, 2 pro-FP songs, 50 newspaper articles, 3 regional FP exhibits, a GOM seminar on FP and development, a television commercial, and an MOPH FP symbol. Key lessons learned were that FP activities can be promoted without a host government population policy and that USAID/M was wise not to pressure the GOM into formalizing one. The grafting of the project onto an existing health/FP structure ensures its replicability.