State-certified midwife Diénaba Barry Diack stated that, according to data from the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), nearly 1,300 women's lives were saved thanks to family planning. She made this statement on the sidelines of a meeting on resource mobilization for family planning, held at the Pikine Nord town hall this past weekend. The meeting brought together journalists, community stakeholders, and health specialists. The objective was to discuss strategies for sustaining these gains in a context marked by dwindling external funding. Indeed, she said, "the results achieved in recent years are thanks to public policies on family planning." According to her, the efforts made by the government since 2012 have significantly increased the use of modern contraceptive methods. "We have gone from a rate of 12% to about 26% today, which has contributed to a significant reduction in maternal mortality," she explained to reporters.

For the midwife, it is essential to preserve these gains while continuing efforts. “We are still far from the national target of a 46% contraceptive prevalence rate by 2028. That's why we must strengthen advocacy to mobilize more resources,” she emphasized. She specifically calls for a stronger commitment from local authorities. The example of Pikine Nord is often cited: the mayor funds certain maternal health activities, allowing providers to offer free family planning services at health posts every month. Those working in the sector believe this type of initiative could be replicated in other municipalities to broaden access to services.

In the same vein, sociologist Momar Talla Seck, advocacy officer at the NGO Acdev, emphasized the importance of community ownership. According to him, resource mobilization cannot be effective without the active engagement of communities. "Nothing can be achieved without strong community mobilization and without the population taking ownership of the strategies," he stressed. In his view, this involvement not only strengthens the effectiveness of interventions but also establishes monitoring and accountability mechanisms. The sociologist also noted that Senegalese households already play a major role in financing the healthcare system. "Studies show that households contribute approximately 46% of healthcare spending in Senegal. This demonstrates how crucial health is for families," he explained.

For him, the challenge now is to find innovative strategies to alleviate this financial burden on households. Reducing direct healthcare expenses could allow families to reinvest these resources in other essential areas such as education or economic activities. Concluding the discussions, Alassane Baldé emphasized the importance of this meeting, held at the Pikine Nord town hall. According to him, reflecting on resource mobilization is becoming essential in a context of dwindling external funding. "We believe it is now necessary to consider how to mobilize local resources to ensure the sustainability of health initiatives, particularly family planning," he explained. He added that journalists also have a crucial role to play. Through their work, they can contribute to strengthening advocacy efforts and raising awareness among decision-makers, local authorities, and communities about the importance of financially supporting these programs. "Family planning is not only a public health issue, it is also a major economic and social issue," he concluded, calling for a collective mobilization of the State, municipalities and communities to meet this challenge.