** PROMES 2: A step towards the empowerment of women and the improvement of public health in the DRC **
The launch of the family planning scaling program (promised 2) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 29, 2025, marked a significant advance in the field of reproductive health and the empowerment of women. In a context where maternal and child health remains a vital issue, this program not only aims to increase the use of modern contraceptive methods, but also to be part of sustainable development, responding to health and demographic priorities.
Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba, Minister of Public Health, stressed that family planning is not only a public health issue, but also an important lever for sustainable development, highlighting the country’s ambition to reach a form of emergence and resilience both economic and socially. It is therefore relevant to wonder how this program can really contribute to these ambitious objectives.
### A program with multiple issues
Promise 2 is positioned as a strategic response to deep challenges with which the country is confronted. Indeed, the Democratic Republic of Congo has among the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world, according to studies by the World Health Organization. Access to adequate reproductive education and integrated health services can thus transform these realities. But how can we guarantee that the program achieves its objectives without creating disparities, especially between the different provinces?
The program provides for a strengthening of the technical skills of health personnel, which is a crucial step. However, this also raises the question of adequate training and the continuous support necessary for these skills to be maintained and effective in the long term. Rigorous monitoring and transparent governance will be essential to ensure that the allocated resources are used wisely.
### An initiative to consider in its socio -cultural context
The impact of the promised 2 must also be appreciated through the prism of socio -cultural structures in the DRC. Family planning is an often sensitive, sometimes misunderstood and sometimes controversial subject. Regarding the empowerment of women, it is fundamental to consider not only medical aspects, but also socio -cultural and traditional implications which can influence the acceptance of contraceptive methods.
Awareness and education here play a preponderant role: how to support populations through adapted information campaigns, taking into account local beliefs and values? The participation of community and religious leaders could also be essential to debate and accept these questions within the different communities.
### What future for reproductive health in the DRC?
The success of promised 2 lies in its ability to be a catalyst for structural changes in the health sector in the DRC. The promise of universal health coverage is an anchoring of aspirations of the country, but it is important to ask: how does this program be articulated with other government initiatives already underway? Are there effective coordination mechanisms between different actors, both public and private, to ensure that the program is not isolated but integrated into a wider health device?
With issues as crucial as those of maternal and child health, an intersectoral approach could strengthen breeding health efforts, integrating dimensions such as education, economic development and the fight against inequalities. In the end, it is essential to open a continuous dialogue on reproductive health, inviting the different actors to build solutions together.
### Conclusion
The launch of Promis 2 symbolizes an important step in the efforts of the Democratic Republic of Congo to improve the health and well-being of its population, in particular women and young people. However, the path to real improvement cannot be taken lightly. While the country aspires to sustainable growth and development, the integration of initiatives as promised 2 in a larger framework will be crucial to carry out an effective and lasting transformation. To find out if these ambitions will materialize, it will be necessary to closely follow the progress made and the real effects on the target populations, keeping in mind the importance of listening and adaptation to local needs.