Engaging Men in Family Planning: Perspectives From Married Men in Lomé, Togo.

Family planning programs have made vast progress in many regions of sub-Saharan Africa in the last decade, but francophone West Africa is still lagging behind. More emphasis on male engagement might result in better outcomes, especially in countries with strong patriarchal societies. Few studies in francophone West Africa have examined attitudes of male involvement in family planning from the perspective of men themselves, yet this evidence is necessary for development of successful family planning projects that include men. This qualitative study, conducted in 2016, explored attitudes of 72 married men ages 18-54 through 6 focus groups in the capital of Togo, Lomé. Participants included professional workers as well as skilled and unskilled workers. Results indicate that men have specific views on family planning based on their knowledge and understanding of how and why women might use contraception. While some men did have reservations, both founded and not, there was an overwhelmingly positive response to discussing family planning and being engaged with related decisions and services. Four key findings from the analyses of focus group responses were: (1) socioeconomic motivations drive mens interest in family planning; (2) men strongly disapprove of unilateral decisions by women to use family planning; (3) misconceptions surrounding modern methods can hinder support for family planning; and (4) limited method choice for men, insufficient venues to receive services, and few messages that target men create barriers for male engagement in family planning. Future attempts to engage men in family planning programs should pay specific attention to mens concerns, misconceptions, and their roles in family decision making. Interventions should educate men on the socioeconomic and health benefits of family planning while explaining the possible side effects and dispelling myths. To help build trust and facilitate open communication, family planning programs that encourage counseling of husbands and wives in their homes by community health workers, trusted men, or couples who have successfully used or are currently using family planning to achieve their desired family size will be important

De la coproduction des services urbains dans les villes togolaises

En proie aux déséquilibres territoriaux, à l’injustice sociale et à l’inégalité d’accès aux services urbains, les pouvoirs publics togolais ont entrepris, ces dernières années, de concrétiser le processus de décentralisation. Ils utilisent ainsi des stratégies de développement local mettant en jeu des processus participatifs impliquant les populations locales, la société civile, les secteurs privés et publics qui collaborent pour réduire la pauvreté. Cette recherche analyse les articulations entre l’État et les organisations communautaires dans la conduite des projets de développement à partir des données documentaires sur la coproduction des services urbains et d’une approche qualitative basée sur des entretiens dans certaines villes togolaises.Exposed to territorial imbalances, social injustice and unequal access to urban services, togolese public officials have realised the need in recent years, to give concrete expression to the decentralisation process. They are therefore using local development strategies involving participatory processes involving local populations, civil society, the private and public sectors working together to reduce poverty. This research analyzes the articulation between the State and community organizations in the conduct of development projects using documentary data on the co-production of urban services and a qualitative approach based on interviews in selected Togolese cities