Leaving no one behind

“My first bad experience as a nurse was witnessing a woman die in child birth… there is no price tag when it comes to saving lives.” - Irene Kakyo, a Community Health worker

“My first bad experience as a nursing student was witnessing a woman die in child birth; it was made worse when I overheard senior midwives say it was her 12th pregnancy. They pondered about how FP services can reach the most in need women like her in the locations with difficult terrain. The woman had delayed to come to the health facility during labor and it was too late to save her. This experience started my journey to reach every woman and every girl with reproductive health and FP information.” Shared Irene Kakyo, district project officer – InPact.

With support from the USAID funded Uganda Family Planning Activity (UFPA) implemented by Pathfinder, Irene is steadfast in making sure she reaches every woman she can ‘Rivers, bridges and mountains can’t stop me” she says ‘there is no price tag when it comes to saving lives”. Her daily schedule involves household outreach visits providing counselling and relevant information on a range of FP methods, and promoting healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies (HTSP).

Irene is able to integrate other health messages in the package of information she provides depending on the condition of women and children she finds in households she visits and she refers those who choose Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) and permanent methods to respective health facilities.

“I am so grateful to Pathfinder and the American people, - how else would we have reached these villages? she asks—I am now hopeful that some women will have quality lives.”