Rwanda Demographic health survey 2019/2020 shows that the unmet need for Family planning is highest in Kigali and the West province (16% each). SAYANA Press has been introduced in Rwanda as a new method of family planning with a facility-based delivery in 2021, however, few and non-age friendly providers, limited community awareness, long-distance travels to the clinic, and long waits for service are presented as challenges against the approach.
SIRIUS Initiative aims to build a community where everyone has access to modern contraception and every pregnancy is wanted. SIRIUS (The brightest star in earth’s night sky) Initiative is created purposefully to tackle family planning unmet needs using a Peer-to-peer private dispensing model. Through this initiative we lead a way to self-injection and empower a network of community dispensers to distribute SAYANA Press to their peers, at door-step, homes and at work. The peer-to-peer private dispensing model has shown higher efficacy and cost-effectiveness thus being recommended to similar settings in low and middle-income countries.
The project activities range from dispensers training, community mobilization, media communications through radio and TV shows. Here are pictures.
