Breaking myths, making informed choices

DAR ES SALAAM: AT 22, Agnes Matonya is a mother of two, a reality that came while she was still trying to build her own future.

Motherhood at a young age affected her ability to continue with education, earn a stable income and pursue opportunities that could improve her life. With two children to care for, meeting family needs became increasingly difficult.

Looking back, Agnes says her experience taught her the importance of having accurate information about family planning and making informed decisions about when to have children. For years, however, fear and misconceptions kept her away from modern contraceptive methods.

“I was told that using family planning would destroy my eggs. Even my parents believed it. We didn’t talk about these things; it was just known that you don’t in terfere with your fertility,” she says.

Her perception changed after attending a community meeting organised by UMATI Tanzania, a national Non-Governmental Organization that provides sexual and reproductive health and rights education and services and implementing partner of UNFPA Tanzania.

The meeting gave women, couples and young people an opportunity to ask questions and learn about contraception from trained community educators.

One message particularly stayed with Agnes, “Use family planning to build your economic future.” “That was powerful,” she says.

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“It changed the way I saw everything.” With better information, Agnes began viewing family planning not simply as a method of preventing pregnancy, but as one of the tools that could help her plan her family and work towards a more secure future.

After discussing the decision with her husband, she chose the injectable contraceptive method. “I chose the injection because I felt it was safe and suitable for me. So far, I’ve had no issues,” she says.

Her husband’s support also gave her confidence. “He agreed without hesitation. That made it easier,” Agnes says.

Today, Agnes is sharing what she has learnt with other women in her community, encouraging them to seek reliable information before making decisions about contraception.

“I’m proud,” she says. “Proud that I now understand family planning and that I can help others understand it too.”

Through reproductive health programmes, UNFPA Tanzania works with the government and partners, including UMATI, to expand access to voluntary family planning information, services and contraceptive methods.

In 2025, with support from UK International Development, UNFPA procured 7.15 million US dollar worth of family planning and maternal health commodities for Tanzania.

The investment contributed to an estimated 487,844 unintended pregnancies averted, according to UNFPA.

For Agnes, the impact goes beyond the numbers.

Having experienced the challenges of raising two children while trying to secure her own economic future, she now sees informed family planning as a way of having greater control over the choices ahead.

“Now, I’m free,” she says. “Free to plan my future, free to raise my children in peace.”