Gambo (33) told the Lafiya Sister in her community: ‘I'm good at braiding hair and wanted to open a salon. Because I was often pregnant, I couldn't focus on work.” She states: “My husband advised me against family planning because he was afraid of the high recurring costs of the injections. Thanks to the Lafiya Sisters, I was able to convince him to try it. I finally started my own home salon and already have regular clients. I can take better care of my children without worrying about them not having enough to eat.’’

Hauwa’u already has six children. She gave birth to her first child at age 15. She told Amina, the Lafiya Sister: “During my sixth pregnancy, I became very weak, sick, and tired of life. My parents live far away in another community, so I had no family support. I usually gave birth at home; during my sixth birth, the placenta did not come out. The traditional birth attendant gave me herbs, believing it would help, but nothing worked. My situation became critical. When Amina came to my village, my life changed. For the first time in my life, I am no longer afraid of getting pregnant every year. My body is resting, and my health is getting better. I became friends with Amina, and she taught me how to knit local Hausa caps to earn some extra income for my family.”

When Malam got increasingly worried about feeding his 21 children, he asked the Lafiya Sister in his community for help. Bilkisu (47), Halima (37), and Zuwaire (30) live in Jigawa State. They are Malam’s co-wives. Between them, they have 21 children. Upon learning that the Lafiya Sister could distribute contraceptives for free, he called his three wives to join the conversation. All three women shared that they used to become pregnant again before their newborn had even stopped breastfeeding, and it took a toll on their bodies.

Bilkisu, Halima, and Zuwaire were excited to try out the injectable DMPA-SC and adopted it immediately during the visit. Zuwaire says: “We now have a chance to focus more on our small business: making brooms to sell to families for their households.”