He Said, She Said, We Decided: Couples Talk About Family Planning

Evidence suggests that good couple communication supports better use of family planning. Yet, few tools exist to encourage such communication in West Africa. To address this gap, the RESPOND Project developed four short documentaries profiling real couples who overcame their fears about long-acting and permanent methods of contraception (LA/PMs). The videos depict the issues and decision-making processes each couple struggled with as they considered their choices and are intended to inspire others to talk about family planning.

There are four videos in the series, each focusing on a different couple from Burkina Faso and a different LA/PM:

1. "Caroline, Zakaria, and the Implant" focuses on a couple's decision to use the implant for birth spacing.
2. "Georgette, Arba, and the IUD" profiles their decision to use an IUD for birth spacing.
3. "Veronique, Bernard, and Tubal Ligation" highlights this couple's decision to obtain female sterilization for limiting.
4. "Awa, Souleymane, and Vasectomy" describes their process for selecting no-scalpel vasectomy for their birth-limiting needs.

The videos can serve as a focal point for community-level group discussions giving people the opportunity to decide for themselves what actions they want to take to meet their reproductive health intentions as they consider family planning use, and LA/PMs in particular. They may also be used in health facilities to generate discussion between providers and clients about LA/PMs. Available in French and Mòoré with English subtitles, these videos were produced by RESPOND Project partner Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs.

View the videos here.