Progress and Potential of Self-Care: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

The momentum around self-care is building through an array of self-care practices, policies, and interventions worldwide. This report aims to take stock of the SRH self-care field and document its progress. It is intended to provide a resource for global and national advocacy, to inform implementation of self-care guidelines, and to link the reader to evidence and learning exchanges. It includes case examples describing the process of introducing and scaling up DMPA-SC self-injection in Malawi and Nigeria.

Tools for advocacy and communications to increase access to a new type of injectable contraception

Subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC) is an innovative and easy-to-use injectable that is transforming contraceptive access, use, and choice for women and adolescent girls. Advocates have an important role to play in making sure their country’s policies and funding support access to a broad method mix, including new options like DMPA-SC.

The DMPA-SC Advocacy Pack is designed to accelerate your advocacy efforts. It consists of evidence-based materials, in English and French, for advocates to use both for their own strategy development and for direct advocacy with decision-makers. Materials are customizable and unbranded so that you can tailor them to your country context.

This DMPA-SC advocacy pack brief details the strong body of evidence and experience with self-injection of DMPA-SC in low-resource settings, including how the practice can reduce access-related barriers, improve contraceptive continuation, and enhance women’s autonomy.

This brief lists key references and resources from the evidence base on DMPA-SC. Pair this with the Evidence at-a-glance brief if your target decision-maker would like to have access to the data in that handout.

This advocacy pack brief packages accurate, evidence-based messages about the features and benefits of DMPA-SC and how the product can increase women’s access to contraception.

This brief provides tips on when, why, and how to engage traditional and social media to advance your advocacy to increase access to DMPA-SC.

This brief offers quick facts on the benefits of DMPA-SC; the product’s potential for empowering women and adolescent girls; the product’s availability; and how subcutaneous DMPA is different from intramuscular DMPA (DMPA-IM).

This DMPA-SC advocacy pack brief outlines existing evidence on DMPA-SC with data grouped into top-line, evidence-based messages, with corresponding data from different countries. This handout can be printed and distributed directly to decision-makers. It contains several one-page spotlight handouts on specific sub-topics, which can be printed and paired with the two-page summary—for distribution to decision-makers—as needed.

Using simple messages, this case statement describes reasons why DMPA-SC is a valuable and game-changing addition to a broad contraceptive method mix.

This customizable slide deck template provides a brief description of DMPA-SC and its benefits; an overview of evidence on how the product expands access through multiple delivery channels; and illustrative policy and advocacy gaps and recommendations for country decision-makers.