Ola is 22 years old and has two children aged four and two. She lives in Ambovombe – Androy region, Madagascar.
“I have two children of my own and having a third child is not possible for me now. As soon as the fathers of my children knew I was pregnant, they abandoned me. MSI’s arrival in our village comes at a time when I really need it. All available forms of contraception were suggested to me and I chose the implant. I don’t know yet if I will choose to have a third child later, but I have the option of asking MSI to remove the implant. Hopefully my situation will improve now so that I can focus on how I will earn money for myself and my children. The drought and the tiomena (sandstorms) mean that we will no longer be able to rely on agriculture, so we need to find a more sustainable source of income.
My family and I rely solely on my income which is mainly drawing water from the well and selling it in jerry cans in the local market for 2000 Ariary (AU$0.70). I also buy products from other regions, including vegetables and sweet peppers and sell them on for a small profit. Many women are doing the same because there are no other sources of income to sustain us. We suffer from a lack of water and this affects our most basic needs, but also means that we’re unable to make a sustainable living. The drought and the tiomena have destroyed everything.
We are suffering a lot, especially the women as many in our region have to raise their children alone without the help of their husbands. Women and men are treated differently. Privilege is always given to men in our region and women are not considered too much, especially our choice to have children or not. For many women in our community, contraception is the only solution to our problems.”