Determinants of performance of family planning projects funded by usaid: a case of aphia plus in Homabay county, Kenya

Abstract

This research sought to examine determinants of performance of family planning projects funded by USAID and to establish an understanding and knowledge on the factors that enhance family planning project performance. The objectives of the study were to determine how contraceptive security influence the performance of family planning projects in Homabay County, to examine how staff competence influence the performance of family planning projects in Homa-bay County, to find out how accessibility influence the performance of family planning projects in Homa-bay County, and to establish how affordability influences the performance of family planning projects in Homa-bay County. To realize the objectives, a descriptive survey design was adopted. The target population constituted WRA registered as FP clients in GOK health facilities. The research study adopted Krejcie and Morgan table of sampling. A sample size of 270 women and 90 service providers was identified. This study used both the questionnaire and an interview guide for data collection among the women of reproductive age seeking family planning services and the interview guides were for the service providers. The data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages and presented in tables. The findings indicated that when users were presented with wide range of FP methods from which they could to choose from, it granted users the autonomy to choose high-quality contraceptives for family planning and therefore enhancing FP objective of preventing HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. The study established that ensuring the continuous availability of contraceptives at the client level is a key contributor to increasing the use of family planning services and that there is need to provide Contraceptive Safety, in order to enable people to choose, obtain, and use high-quality contraceptives whenever they want them. Contraceptive Safety requires planning and commitment on several levels to ensure that the necessary commodities, equipment, and other supplies are always available. The study also noted that the cost of family planning service is an important determinant of the use of family planning services. Government health facilities in Homabay County offered the services free of charge; proximity was considered an ideal proxy for price of the contraceptives. The further away from the facility a respondent is the higher would be transport cost or transaction cost of accessing the facility. The study also noted that Poverty and longstanding County regional inequities also perpetuate the exclusion of many people from accessing effective contraception in Homabay County, according to health care providers it is hard to keep services affordable and ensure that people can choose, obtain, and use high-quality contraceptives whenever they want them. The study noted that demographic and socioeconomic factors of the woman and also the, woman’s perception in terms of the facility/provider factors such quality, user fees charged for family planning services, and proximity of the family planning facility. Therefore, the study concluded that ensuring Contraceptive Safety is key in promoting performance of family planning projects in Homabay County. The study also established that family planning health workers played a critical role in creating awareness on family planning services, competent health workers were in a better position to convince young reproductive women to consider uptake of family planning measures than any other advocacy means. Therefore the staff competence had a positive influence on the performance of family planning projects in Homabay County.