Patience Makwanya is a nurse at Nhowe Mission Hospital. She is married with 3 children. She has used hormonal contraceptives (pill and Depo-Provera) which did not work for her as every woman is different. Having an unplanned pregnancy for their third child was not welcome and her husband did not understand how it could happen when one is using contraception. Even though they had agreed on the methods of contraception as a couple, the husband put more responsibility on her for knowledge of contraception since she was in the medical field. The couple needed a non-hormonal and long acting contraceptive method after their third child.

After the birth of her child Sister Makwanya decided to use the IUCD. As fortune would have it she did not need to travel far to get this done. Patience became one of the first clients of one of the nurses at Nhowe hospital who had recently been trained on IUCD insertion and removal supported by UNFPA and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council.

"Having an IUCD as a nurse has really motivated many women in the community to take up this method, which they call the 'loop' in the surrounding villages and also because the service is now available at the clinic. I feel very comfortable with the IUCD and am glad I finally found something that suits my life choice.”

The Family Planning programme receives technical and financial support from UNFPA through the Health Development Fund, a pooled funding mechanism supported by the governments of Britain, Ireland, Sweden and the European Union. It is through such support that women such as Patience and many others in her community can exercise their right to choice.