Contraceptive Security / Commodities

In promoting contraceptive security (CS), Futures Group advocates for every person having the opportunity to access and use contraceptives freely for HIV/AIDS prevention and family planning. Futures Group strives to ensure long-term access to high-quality contraceptives and other essential health supplies and has a rich history in data-driven contraceptive and commodities needs projections. We were instrumental in developing and applying the Strategic Pathway to Reproductive Health Commodity Security (SPARHCS), a strategic planning tool and framework to help increase access and availability of high-quality contraceptives. Focusing on evidenced-based advocacy, our approach to SPARHCS proved successful in mobilizing government resources for commodities, particularly in the Near East and Latin American/Caribbean, where contraceptive commodity assistance from donors is lessening.

Under the USAID | HPI Project, Futures Group has supported promotion of contraceptive security in El Salvador by helping form and strengthen a national CS committee, despite many political obstacles, including pressure from the Catholic Church and other groups opposed to family planning. HPI helped the CS committee develop work and action plans, design advocacy strategies, conduct market segmentation analysis, create market segmentation plans, and project contraceptive commodity requirements. Advocacy by the CS committee led the government to establish the National Safe Motherhood Program in September 2008, creating a budget line for procuring all contraceptive commodities. This major victory set up a mechanism to secure national funding for contraceptives and showed government commitment to taking responsibility for and assuring the availability of contraceptive supplies.

Under the KfW-funded Yemen Family Health and Family Planning Program, Futures Group helped the Yemen government meet demand for family planning services by increasing access to and availability of affordable modern contraceptives through the private sector and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Futures Group teamed with the local private distributor NATCO, increasing the availability of Protec brand contraceptives in remote regions of the country. Futures Group also brokered the supply of commodities to health facilities of the Charitable Society for Social Welfare and Marie Stopes. The services complemented the public service delivery system and successfully contributed to family planning service sustainability.