Reducing high fertility rates and improving sexual reproductive health outcomes (RISE)

The aim of the UK Aid-funded ‘Reducing high fertility rates and improving sexual reproductive health outcomes in Uganda’ (RISE) programme was to increase the uptake of modern contraceptive use in seven major regions of Uganda.

In 2021, Options joined the consortium, led by MSI Reproductive Choices, to develop the capacity and interest of local actors, including civil society organisations (CSOs), at the sub-national and national levels to engage with and hold the government accountable for building a supportive environment for the delivery of reproductive health services.

We did this by:

• Working closely with the District Health Office and CSOs to ensure that family planning was included in annual plans and budgets
• Working closely with the government to develop district costed implementation plans (DCIPs)
• Helping to establish and strengthen sub-national civil society accountability mechanisms to hold local governments accountable for the implementation of the DCIPs, and provision of high-quality reproductive health services.

The programme consortium is led by MSI Reproductive Choices, and includes Reach a Hand Uganda, FHI 360, Makerere University School of Public Health, Options Consultancy Services, Partners in Population and Development – Africa Regional Office, and Population Media Center.

Programme achievements:

1. We supported the development of multi-sectoral family planning costed implementation plans in 12 districts.
2. We helped establish 15 CSO-led health accountability mechanisms in 15 districts.
3. We supported the roll-out of district and facility programme-based planning and budgeting using the HMSI001 tool.

The programme started in 2018 and will run to 2023.