WiserEarth Area of Focus Suggestions

Families in communities where the FPMCH program was implemented became wealthier and healthier than families who lived in other, similar communities. Family planning is one of the most cost-effective health interventions in the developing world.1 For decades, research has shown that for a relatively modest investment, family planning saves lives and improves maternal and child health. Although it seems intuitive that investing in family planning would also lift fami- lies out of poverty by helping poor women have fewer children, there have been relatively few studies to shed light on this relationship. Now, a new study on Bangla- desh provides evidence that long-term investment in an integrated family planning and maternal and child health (FPMCH) program contributes to improved economic security for families, households, and communities through larger incomes, greater accumulation of wealth, and higher levels of education.2 The evidence indicates that family planning and maternal-child health services help reduce poverty, the first goal of the Millennium Development Goals.