Motherhood by Design – Foundation Action Plan
The importance of family planning cannot be overstated. Young women who become pregnant drop out of school, with all the consequences for their future development and independence. Women with a rapid succession of pregnancies cannot recover sufficiently, compromising their health. Caring for a large family takes its toll, both physically and financially. Family planning can solve these problems, enabling desirable motherhood and fatherhood. The Foundation, therefore, fully supports the initiative of Dr. Felix Küchler, a specialist in the field of natural family planning.
The trainers in training
At the beginning of June 2022, the Foundation’s 13 social assistants underwent initial training with Dr. Felix Küchler and his team. He taught them to understand their monthly menstrual cycle and to recognize their fertile and infertile periods by the composition of the cervical mucus. It is, therefore, important to systematically check this composition. After this initial training to familiarize the facilitators with the method, Dr. Felix Küchler sent each home with an assignment. He asked them to experiment on themselves for about six months so that they could master the technique and then teach it to other women.
At the end of January 2023, the time had come. Dr. Félix Küchler gathered the social assistants again for further training. For three days, they exchanged experiences and had every opportunity to ask additional questions. They also received communication tips and advice on approaching the issue of family planning or desired motherhood and fatherhood with the local population and couples. After all, women and men must understand the importance of family planning. They also learned how to teach other women to recognize their fertile periods through role-playing.
Today, the social assistants are already busy promoting this technique in the villages.
Information session for representatives of several NGOs.
Marcienne Houenou, director of the Foundation in Benin, participated in an information session organized by Dr. Félix Küchler for about 20 NGOs. The Foundation no longer needed to be convinced of the usefulness and functioning of the method, but by its presence, it wanted to motivate other NGOs to support the program.
At least Dr. Küchler was satisfied. He felt that he had succeeded in convincing the NGOs of the added value of the method. It is an entirely natural method, free and accessible to everyone. He could also refer to his experience with the technique: he has been promoting it with his team in the Atacora for eight years.
A representative of one of the NGO confirmed that the information session was successful. She said that although birth planning is often discussed, it is always referred to as medicalized birth planning. She has now learned that there is also an all-natural method that has no side effects and is accessible to everyone.
