Maria* is raising seven children in a village in the central highlands of Timor-Leste. Her husband works as a labourer to cover school fees, food and daily needs while Maria cares for the children at home. For Maria, family planning is about whether her children can eat well, stay in school and have the chance to build a better life.
A mother looking ahead
“It’s better that I use family planning because we need to send these seven children to school and make sure they have food and can live well,” Maria says. “I’m using family planning so I can give them a better future.”
Maria had never used contraception before. But after giving birth by caesarean section, she knew something had to change. Her body needed time to recover. Her family needed stability. Her children needed her focus.
At her local health facility, an MSI Lady showed Maria her options. She chose a contraceptive implant that will protect her from pregnancy for three years.
For Maria, the decision is about giving each child the care, attention and education they deserve.
“When you don’t have too many children, you can give proper attention to each one,” she says. “When there are too many children, sometimes the money simply isn’t enough to cover school fees, food and clothing for everyone.”
Keeping her children in school
Five of Maria’s children are already in school and the two youngest are still too young to enrol. Keeping all of her children in education is what matters most to her.
“I want to make sure they can all continue their education through to completion and won’t have to drop out because of financial problems.”
Maria knows what it feels like to leave school too soon. She reached grade eleven, but when her mother died, she had to stop studying to help her family.
“When I left school, I lost my direction and missed out on opportunities I could have had,” she says.
That loss still shapes the way Maria looks at her children today. She cannot go back and reclaim the future she lost. But with access to family planning, she can fight for theirs By protecting her health and focusing on the children she already has, Maria can give her children what she was denied: the chance to stay in school, finish their education and build the future she never got to have.
Your support helps make choices like Maria’s possible, giving women the care, information and confidence to protect their health and fight for the futures their children deserve.
*Names and images have been changed to protect client privacy
