UAFC Meeting in Amsterdam
On October 6th and 7th, 2009, the members of the Universal Access to the Female Condom (UAFC) Joint Programme International Platform met in the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands to discuss Female Condom Programming. The aim of the program is to work towards meeting the need for female condoms around the world. The group of more than forty participants heard from champions of female condom advocacy and programming, participated in workshops, and collaborated in small group working sessions. For more information and to view pictures from the event, please visit the UAFC website.
Cincinnati Magazine: Benefits of Multiple Female Condom Products
The February 2010 edition of Cincinnati Magazine included an article entitled “The Other Side of Desire,” quoting CHANGE President Serra Sippel as well several other female condom advocates. The article highlights the potential benefits of the introduction of another version of the female condom, the PATH Woman’s Condom, and describes a study being launched to test its effectiveness.
FDA Approves
FC2 Female Condom®
On March 11th, the Female Health Company (FHC) announced approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the 2nd-generation female condom, known as the FC2. FDA approval will enable the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to procure FC2 for distribution to global HIV/AIDS programs. The FDA’s approval states that the FC2 Female Condom is indicated for preventing pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Press Release from CHANGE
Press Release from Female Health Company
Reuters: “U.S. FDA approves new, cheaper female condom,” by Susan Heavey
RHRealityCheck.org: “Female and Male Condoms: Whose Responsibility?” by Kimberly Whipkey
Slate.com: "Female Condoms," by Will Saletan
Saving Lives Now:
Female Condoms and the Role of U.S. Foreign Aid
 A new report from the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) documents U.S. investment in global female condom procurement, distribution and programming.
About Female Condoms
The female condom is a currently existing and approved safer sex technology that can be used to prevent HIV infection and/or unintended pregnancy. Correct and consistent use of female condoms can reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 90 percent in women having sex with an infected partner. Studies show that the female condom is at least as effective as the male condom in reducing the risk of contracting other sexually transmitted infections. Female condoms also can be used to prevent unintended pregnancies, making them an ideal “dual protection” method.
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Female Condom Advocacy in Uganda
From June 23-25, 2009 CHANGE, in partnership with the Global Campaign for Microbicides, facilitated an advocacy workshop in Kampala, Uganda among civil society advocates aimed at expanding access to female condoms in the country. Participants practiced key advocacy skills and put them into practice, meeting with donors, including USAID and UNFPA and the Ministry of Health to ensure civil society involvement in the planned re-launch of the female condom this fall.
"Uganda to Reintroduce Female Condoms," Serra Sippel, RH Reality Check, June 29, 2009.
The Information and Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), and Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) with support from partners of the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) Initiative and the World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research (WHO/RHR) organized a two-week online global forum on female condoms from April 23–May 2, 2008, presenting the latest guidance, reviewing new products, and allowing colleagues around the world share questions and experiences around female condom programming. Nearly 500 participants from 72 countries joined the discussion.
Read the summary of the e-forum discussion.
" Yes, a female condom," Chicago Tribune, January 24, 2009.
" Female condom's worldwide possibilities," by Serra Sippel, chicagotribune.com, January 26, 2009.
Latest News on Female Condoms
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"HIV/AIDS is becoming a women’s pandemic, and women need prevention now. They need the only tool for HIV prevention that women can initiate. They need access to the female condom and education on its use." - Beatrice Were, Uganda HIV/AIDS Advocate and 2005 Recipient of the Human Rights Watch Award
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