Advocacy as a Tool for Advancing Family Planning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Case Study.

Abstract

The national strategic plan for family planning (FP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) calls for an increase in modern contraceptive prevalence in 2025. The DRC's size and weak health infrastructure pose significant challenges to programming in all areas of primary health care, including FP. Notwithstanding, in the past decade, a group of advocates organized to undertake a series of activities to improve the policy environment for FP in the DRC. We outline the 4 major accomplishments to date: revitalizing a multisectoral FP stakeholder group at the national and provincial levels, obtaining the repeal of the Law of 1920 in the form of a new Public Health Law passed in 2018, soliciting public statements favorable to FP from political figures including 2 presidents, and securing the disbursement of government funds for the purchase of contraceptives. We reveal the work behind the scenes needed to obtain these advocacy wins. Given that the field of advocacy does not lend itself to rigorous evaluation using randomized trials or quasi-experimental design, it is important to document and analyze how such advocacy wins can be attained.