IRH’s particular expertise in expanding family planning options is fertility awareness-based methods (FAM). Studies and experience have shown that including these methods into norms, guidelines, training, behavior change communication, and services can address the needs of many women and men who previously have not used family planning. IRH staff has extensive understanding of and experience with FAM; thus, while many IRH materials and tools can be accessed from the www.irh.org website (see resources), organizations that are incorporating FAM into their programming have found that engaging with IRH’s vast on-the-ground experience in this area is critical for success.
For example, IRH provides:
- Technical input into normative and state-of-the-art documents being developed by international organizations and ministries of health to ensure accurate information and guidance,
- Guidance for conducting feasibility/needs assessments to determine the support required to implement FAM services and for developing strategies for implementation (see guidance for integrating the Standard Days Method® (SDM) into programs in ENG, FRE, SPA),
- Materials and recommendations for advocating with policymakers and other stakeholders to include FAM in programming (see advocacy briefs for policymakers and program managers for including SDM in programs, developed with Futures Group International),
- Training materials and training-of-trainers to build the capacity of service providers to offer FAM, including pre-service and in-service training and training for community and facility-based providers (find training tools for the SDM, TwoDay Method® (TDM), and Lactational Amennorhea Method (LAM) here),
- Assistance with adapting materials and guidelines for supportive supervision to improve quality of FAM services (access the Knowledge Improvement Toolkit),
- Assistance with developing and testing behavior change communication materials and strategies to increase knowledge and use of FAM as a family planning option (see example provider, client and promotional tools),
- Guidance in forecasting needs for CycleBeads® for programs including the SDM in their services (seeCycleBeads Procurement Guide);
- Tools for facility assessments, stakeholder interviews and focus groups, and community surveys to monitor the implementation of FAM services;
- Guidance for planning for and documenting scale-up of a reproductive health innovation.
