Campaign targets “smart” couples to increase family planning use among the young and newly married

 Minister for Health and Population (MOHP) Khagaraj Adhikari inaugurated the Family Planning Communications Campaign in Kathmandu. The campaign – funded by the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) – aims to increase family planning among young married couples across the country. The campaign is led by the Ministry of Health and Population and runs until 2017.

 While gains in family planning use have been made among certain segments of Nepal’s population, only 12 percent of young and newly married Nepalis use family planning to delay the birth of their first child.  Less than 32 percent use family planning to space their second child after the first birth.  The campaign is also directed at families of Nepalis working overseas and people from marginalized communities.

 According to a press release issued by Public Affairs Section, Embassy of The United States, USAID’s Nepal Health Communication Capacity Collaborative program will release multiple television and radio infomercials – primarily through Nepal TV, Kantipur TV, Radio Nepal, Kantipur FM, Image FM, and other local radio stations. The campaign will use a multi-channel approach and seeks to leverage social media, mobile phones, print and online media, community events, and door-to-door messaging to reach its target audiences.

 Dr. Beth Dunford, USAID/Nepal’s Mission Director said, “Among the strongest drivers for fertility reduction among men and women is their shared aspiration of a better life for themselves and, especially, their children.  Young couples seek solutions that will allow them to better care for their children, to better feed and clothe them, and to send them to school. This campaign shows that when family planning is correctly used, it can help young people move towards a better future.”