“Out of stock”? How MSI keeps choice in reach
In the Pacific Island nation of Papua New Guinea, accessing reliable healthcare is a challenge for women—especially those in more remote areas. Villages here can be far apart, and travel is difficult. Even something as basic as going to the doctor is a major undertaking.
But women like Mali* are determined to take control of their bodies and futures. Her resilience and strength shows the importance of services that bring care closer to those who need it most.
Mali’s story
Mali, a mother of five from Western Highlands Province, knows just how transformative family planning can be. After the devastating loss of one of her children in 2022, she and her husband made a decision that would shape their family’s future: they decided Mali would get long-term contraception so they could focus on raising and educating their four surviving children.
They wanted to support their children’s education and give them the best opportunities they could. They didn’t want an unintended pregnancy to jeopardize their plans.
Barriers to choice
Mali did her research and made a decision: She wanted a contraceptive implant for its long-term benefits. However, after travelling a long distance, with an expensive bus ticket on dangerous roads, she arrived to find that the health center didn’t have the contraception she wanted.
Unfortunately, Mali isn’t alone: Stockouts are a common problem facing women in Papua New Guinea, and they can prevent women from getting the method of contraception they prefer.
Mali returned home worried that she wouldn’t be able to get the contraception she needed. But soon, she heard hopeful news: An MSI team would be arriving soon to a health center closer to home.
During an outreach visit, Mali met with our team who were able to provide her with the long-term contraceptive she wanted and the reassurance that reliable family planning services were finally within reach.
For Mali, this was transformative.
“Before MSI came here, there was no reliable family planning service here, the team’s visits have been invaluable to me and many other women in my village.”
Transforming families and communities
Mali’s story reflects a broader reality: when women have access to family planning services, they can choose smaller families and entire communities benefit.
The contraceptive implant she received that day won’t just protect her health. It will mean that all her children can go to school, setting her whole family on a path to a more secure future. For her children, more time in school can lead to better incomes as adults, creating a positive cycle.
Thanks to MSI’s outreach teams, women in remote villages like Mali’s can make choices that empower their families and futures.
Together, we’re making choice possible—for everyone, everywhere.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
