Segment 1

TITLE

Wollo, Ethiopia

AYNESHET GUBENA [Health Extension Worker, Ethiopia]

My name is Ayneshet Gubena and I'm a health extension worker. I have a program to go to the village twice a week. There are 15 neighborhoods in this locality and a lot of the women come to us. A woman at the age of twenty or twenty-five, when she becomes a mother of four or five children, clothing and schooling them is difficult. Therefore, if they use family planning, they can reduce poverty. That's what I think, and I'm sure it will in the future. There was a low willingness to use family planning in the past. I would go door to door and they would denounce family planning. They wanted to give birth and raise them by the virtue of luck. Once they are born, God will provide for children. They had that belief. But now we have educated them that this is harmful. This belief harms the mother and the family economy. Women suffer a lot. They have a great burden. They lose a lot of blood during childbirth. They get weak when they have children one after the other. There can be bleeding, leading to death. Because of this I want to work closely with them and to teach them about family planning. I'm really happy when I see women's lives improve. Whether it is family planning or anything. It's great to see them at a better place in their life. It's great to see them with a healthy baby. When there are no problems, and there is love in the family, it makes me very happy to see. I love it. It really makes me happy.