"The fishing quay on the beach at Joal is usually so crowded with women dealing with the day's catch that you can barely glimpse the sea. But today it is quiet, just an expanse of broken shells and plastic bags that leads down to the water's edge. Last night, as is increasingly common here on Senegal's coast, there was a storm and heavy rain so the men could not go to sea safely in their open wooden fishing boats, known as pirogues."
"MSI comes to the area once every couple of months, offering women contraception to prevent the life-threatening back-to-back pregnancies that have been the norm here. Having a measure of control over the babies they have means women can work, and not be reliant on the men and their dwindling fishing incomes. But aid cuts are threatening that lifeline. As women wait in seats lining the corridor, community workers talk to them about their options."
"A coil also known as an intrauterine device (IUD) which is fitted in the womb to prevent pregnancy, is passed along the line of women. There is relief that it is small and light it is colloquially known as an appareil, the same French word used for a phone or a camera."
Storms and heavy rain on Senegal's coast increasingly prevent men from fishing in open wooden pirogues, leaving quays empty and homes flooded. Industrial trawling by international fleets reduces local catches, worsening household incomes for fishing families. Women manage flooded houses and the aftermath while also seeking healthcare and work. Mobile teams from MSI Reproductive Choices visit periodically to provide contraception, including coils (IUDs), enabling women to avoid back-to-back, life-threatening pregnancies and to gain economic autonomy. Aid cuts threaten continued outreach and the contraceptive lifeline for communities dependent on irregular fishing income.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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