Growing confidence. Villagers in Ghana's XXXX pilot areas learn the power of self-help.

@entity1 @entity294 @entity7173 @entity3147
Initiated in 1987 in 9 pilot villages, Ghana's Integrated Family Planning, Nutrition and Parasite Control Project ( @entity7173 ) has succeeded in overcoming traditional opposition to family planning and increasing @entity1 's self-confidence. In Ghana, traditional beliefs have placed obstacles to contraceptive acceptance. A 1988 survey indicated that only 12.9% of all currently married @entity1 were using any contraceptive method, and only 5.2% were using a modern method. At the same time, the country has experienced a high level of fertility. The average Ghanaian @entity1 will have 6.11 @entity1 by age 44. The annual population growth rate currently stands at 2.6% -- far above the government's goal of 2.0% by the year 2000. The @entity7173 , implemented by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana with support from the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning, promotes family planning as part as a total effort to enhance maternal and @entity1 health. Discussion of family planning does not begin until the community's other concerns have been addressed. The program first focuses on parasite control. A dramatic sight, the process of deworming a @entity1 generally has a strong impact on the @entity1 's consciousness, alerting them to the need for better sanitation. The nutrition component of the program confronts problems such as @entity3147 and @entity294 . By addressing parasite control and nutrition, @entity7173 workers gain the confidence of the community, making it easier to raise the issue of family planning. In 1987, the 9 pilot villages where the @entity7173 was begun registered a family planning acceptance rate of 17.4%. By 1990, rates ranged from 24.67%- 40.6%. @entity7173 workers attribute much of the increase to the @entity1 's growing confidence in their own capabilities and resources.
