Suggestions
for Making Your Audience
More
Comfortable Discussing FC
FC is the
first and only female-initiated contraceptive barrier method with the advantage
of also providing protection from STIs. It is also
the only new prevention device introduced since the beginning HIV/AIDS
epidemic. FC female condom is a relatively new method and lessons learnt from
FC activities world-wide indicate that the way in which FC female condom is
introduced into sexual and reproductive health programmes
is critical to its success. Many people will not have seen the device before
and at first glance, FC may look big, ugly or hard to use. The highest rates of
FC success have been achieved in those country health programmes
that give priority to community outreach or those that put a strong emphasis on
educational work. This highlights the importance of the quality of the health
care delivery systems for the long-term acceptability of FC female condom.
Introducing FC
can be done in groups or in one-to-one sessions. Group sessions offer a
friendly environment where women (and/or men) can share information, ideas and
experiences. In one-to-one sessions, messages can be tailored to fit the
specific needs of a user. In each case, the following are essential ingredients
to successful introduction:
It may be
beneficial to divide training sessions by gender to ensure that both women and
men feel comfortable to raise issues they may have around FC usage.