This toolkit is designed to help those working in family planning (FP) across Africa to advocate for the visibility, availability, and quality of FP services and counselling, including contraceptive use and healthy timing and spacing of births. It was developed in response to requests from several countries to assist them in accelerating their FP advocacy efforts. This toolkit was jointly produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), Regional Office for Africa, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the BRIDGE Project. It was implemented by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and Africa's Health in 2010 Project, managed by the Academy for Educational Development.

Advocacy (and this toolkit) intends to introduce or change a policy, programme, or legislation, or to shift the position of influential individuals or organisations on a specific issue. Specifically, this toolkit supports FP advocates in convincing key programme managers, opinion leaders, and policy-makers that FP confers important health and development benefits to individuals, families, communities, and the nation, so that they will 1) act directly or use their influence to expand and improve FP services, and 2) disseminate accurate information on the benefits of FP.

The kit contains eight briefs: an update on population and FP in sub-Saharan Africa, including regional and country data; four briefs devoted to communication with influential audiences; two briefs on how to develop an advocacy strategy and work with the media; and a list of materials, advocacy manuals, and other resources available on the internet. The kit also contains a CD-ROM with copies of the briefs, internet links, PowerPoint slides, and additional advocacy materials.

The toolkit is intended to suggest a range of audiences that can be mobilised, ways to engage those audiences, and what each can do for FP. It provides the advocates with the latest FP data and trends, ready-to-use messages, and suggested activities for reaching out and involving specific audiences. The uses for which this toolkit would be appropriate include:


* Developing comprehensive, policy-level advocacy strategies and action plans within organisations or advocacy coalitions;
* Promoting dialogue among a broad range of national and community leaders on the health, social, and economic benefits of increasing access to FP services;
* Working with the media to promote understanding of the benefits of FP and to increase the quantity and quality of FP coverage;
* Training others on how to identify key FP issues and specific audiences; develop advocacy objectives, expected outcomes, and key messages; and design innovative action plans for reaching the identified audiences.

A section is devoted to media and suggests that media can do the following:


1) Cover FP programme successes.
2) Interview women who state that they need FP and probe why it is not available to them.
3) Tell the story of how FP has changed the life of an individual or a family.
4) Show how FP offers life-saving benefits, including reducing HIV/AIDS sexual and mother-to-child transmission.
5) Interview supportive policy-makers, FP programme managers, health specialists, FP advocates, youth group leaders, and adolescents concerned about sexuality issues.
6) Interview a FP technical expert.
7) Interview youth about FP and clinic services.
8) Visit a clinic and cover the quality of services.
9) Organise televised debates, panel discussions, or town hall forums on FP issues.
10) Offer free airtime for topics on FP.
11) Form a network or coalition of journalists to focus on FP and share information.
12) Engage senior broadcast producers, print editors, and heads of media associations (the “gatekeepers”) in FP issues.
13) Include FP in coverage of media events such as the World Population Day and others.
14) Demonstrate how FP is linked to international treaties and conventions that the country has supported.

The Population Reference Bureau enewsletter on December 18 2008.