Among the hills of the Mbulu District in central Tanzania, lives Martin and Rehema, a farming couple along with their eight children.
Martin and Rehema were to have nine children, but lost their last baby in a miscarriage. Martin always wanted to have four children, unlike his wife who wished for a bigger family like her mother, who had eleven children. Martin and Rehema love their large family, but they admit that it can be hard to provide for so many children.
When Rehema conceived her first baby, she was sick throughout her pregnancy. They both thought things would change with the other pregnancies; however, throughout all of the pregnancies, she suffered. Even during the ninth pregnancy, when Rehema was 43 years old, she was sick and could not do anything but lie in bed. Not only did Martin feel sorry that she was suffering, but she would get so ill that Martin worried her body would no longer be able to handle it and that he might lose her.
Martin was determined to find a solution to his wife's misery. He approached a healthcare worker at Mbulu Town Council Hospital, who explained to him the family planning options available for women and men. Martin was excited to learn that finally there was a solution, especially after what his wife had been through.
He decided to talk to his wife about the options, but Rehema was not ready. While she agreed that additional pregnancies did not feel safe or healthy, she also worried about the safety of family planning methods due to various myths around family planning in the community.
Martin knew he had to do something to save the life of his wife. If family planning methods were not a good option for his wife, maybe they were for him. He made a decision to get a vasectomy. After discussing it with his wife, they both agreed, and Martin went to the health facility to get the procedure in coordination with a USAID Afya Yangu Northern family planning event.
Martin explains that the procedure was relatively painless, and that the community myths were proven wrong. In addition to rumors of major discomfort, many of Martin’s community members feared that after one goes through the procedure, they lose their sexual desire. Martin was happy to report that this was not true at all.
“After my experience, I am set to educate my community on family planning and curtail all these myths and negative mindsets around family planning,” says Martin.
Oliver Tembo, an assistant nursing officer at Mbulu Town Council Hospital, adds that “because of the culture and traditions in Mbulu, there is very little male involvement in family planning.” For instance, during February and March of 2022, only one man had a vasectomy, while 13 women opted for tubal ligation.
“We see this as a challenge, says Tembo, “and together with the USAID Afya Yangu Northern project(link is external), we are having male involvement activities such as outreach activities.”
EGPAF