The Government and people of Paraguay have prioritized family planning programs as a way to reduce high maternal and child mortality, promote healthier pregnancies and births, and meet women’s and couples’ goals of determining their family size.

Overview

• The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) family planning assistance to Paraguay began in 1968, though assistance was suspended during much of the 1980s due to political changes in the Latin American country. In 1990, USAID and the Government of Paraguay forged a renewed commitment to a strong partnership.
• Paraguay’s total market approach to family planning, supported by USAID, fostered a partnership between the public and private sectors to lower the cost of contraceptives.
• Paraguay’s emphasis on rural programs brought equity to modern contraceptive use so that by 2008, family planning reached approximately 70 percent of both rural and urban populations.