Actions HRA Pharma

Mona Lisa Africa

Mali

Family planning is not new to Mali and for a long time already it has been recognized as a vehicle for improving the health of mother and child. The Cairo Conference in 1994 highlighted the importance of family planning to reduce maternal, neonatal and infant mortality.

The knowledge of modern contraception methods is rather good in Mali: 75.6% of women and 87.6% of men are aware of at least one modern method. In spite of that, women still do not really use contraception and only 5,7% of woman living in union make use of a modern method of contraception. Moreover, as in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the probability of using contraception is mainly determined by what men expect. Women’s views are not of much importance. This pattern appears to be challenged by younger generations in which the aspirations of men and women are less heterogeneous.