Formerly Minnesota International Health Volunteers

Improving the health of women, children and their communities around the world.

In Somalia, women experience high fertility rates, averaging seven live births in their lifetimes. Somalia also has a high infant mortality rate, 111 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. In the U.S., Somali women continue to experience high fertility due to very low use of birth control; however, they experience lower infant mortality, just over 6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, due to improved access to health care during and after their pregnancies.

Given this trend, family planning, or “child spacing” (waiting a period of time between giving birth), has become a critical health need for Somali families. In the Somali community, “child spacing” is a more culturally appropriate term than “family planning” because many individuals do not believe it is appropriate to proactively limit or plan their children, based on religious beliefs. From a health and wellness benefits perspective, longer birth spacing is healthier for mothers and their children, allows fathers to spend more time with their family, eases the financial strain on families, and enables the community to raise healthier children.