By Tolit Ivan
South Sudanese refugees in Adjumani District are increasingly embracing family planning, rejecting long-held myths and traditional misconceptions about contraceptives amid economic hardship and dwindling donor support.
Previously South Sudanese refugees have held beliefs that modern contraceptives cause cancer, including cervical cancer, permanent infertility, fibroids, damage to eggs or the birth of children with deformities.
However, according to a report by the Adjumani District Health Department, family planning uptake among South Sudanese refugees increased from 22.7% in the 2019/2020 financial year to 48.8 % in 2024/2025, with more refugees seeking the services.
Speaking to journalists, Henry Lulu, the Assistant District Health Officer in Adjumani, said more refugee men are abandoning contraceptive myths and traditional misconceptions and supporting the use of family planning by their wives.
Lulu attributed the increase in the uptake partly to the difficult economic conditions facing refugees following reductions in donor support, the rising cost of living and the effects of changing climate patterns on crop production.