More and more women in Africa are using long-acting contraceptives, changing lives
On a busy day at the Kwapong Health Center in rural Ghana, Beatrice Nyamekye inserted contraceptive implants into the arms of half a dozen women and gave eight or nine others a three-month hormone injection to prevent pregnancy. Some were looking for condoms or birth control pills, but most wanted something longer lasting.“They especially like the implants and injections,” said Ms Nyamekye, a community health nurse. “It frees them from worry and is private. They don't even have to discuss it with a husband or partner.The uproar at the Kwapong clinic is echoed throughout Ghana and much of sub-Saharan Africa, where women have the lowest rate of access to contraception in the world: only 26% of women of reproductive age in the region use a modern contraceptive method. – something othe...