As an outreach worker, 29-year-old Esraa realizes the importance of talking to women about the benefits of family planning on their own health as well as their children’s.

The outreach worker is one of many who work at the Karam al-Deeb family health unit in Kom Ombo, Aswan. She has discussions with the women who visit the unit about the importance of spacing between pregnancies.

“Family planning allows each child to take his/her full rights in education, health and different services,” she says.

Physicians, nurses and service providers like Esraa are trained under the framework of the EU support to Egypt's National Population Strategy project.

A delegation from the European Union and UNFPA, as well as a delegation of journalists visited Karam al-Deeb family health unit in Aswan to follow up on the progress of the project.

The delegation visited the Karam al-Deeb family health unit in Kom Ombo, Aswan, where they met the service providers and attended a session raising awareness around family planning. The delegation also visited an exhibition organized by the unit’s Women Health Club.

The visit was conducted with the support of Dr. Ehab Emad Hanafy, Head of Health Directorate, Dr. Mohamed Sorour, Head of Family Planning in Aswan and with the participation of Dr. Mohamed Abo Al-Fadl, Head of Kom Ombo Health Directorate.

Dr. Abo al-Fadl said that the number of women visiting the unit has increased by 20 percent, compared to last year. He explained that outreach workers follow up with women so they do not discontinue their contraceptives.

With the support of an EU-grant of 27 Million Euros, the project aims at increasing the use of voluntary, rights-based family planning through improved supply of family planning services and commodities, increased demand for family planning, and enhanced governance for implementation of the National Population Strategy. It will ultimately benefit Egyptians of reproductive age who will have more choices regarding the size of their families, as well as the timing and spacing of children.