How Family Planning Transformed Najjissa Nimaana’s Life: A Refugee Mother’s Journey to Stability and Empowerment in Nakivale.
Najjissa Nimaana Vanancia, a 28-year-old refugee from Rwanda, now lives in Kabazaana Village within the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. A mother of two, Najjissa has become an inspiring example of how access to family planning can transform lives.
After entering a committed relationship with her first serious boyfriend, Najjissa embraced a life of happiness with him. However, she admits her biggest fear was getting pregnant before marriage. “I was scared of falling pregnant before I was ready,” she recalls. “I wanted to build a future first.”
While selling tomatoes at her stall in the village, Najjissa met a Village Health Team (VHT) member from Shared Action Africa. The VHT offered her guidance and counseling on family planning methods to help prevent unwanted pregnancies and promote child spacing. Encouraged by this support, Najjissa chose the Sayana injection, a method that provides protection for three months per dose.
She was referred to Kabazaana Health Centre III, where she met Shared Action Africa health workers who trained her further about her chosen method. “They were so friendly and supportive,” she says. “They helped me start Sayana immediately, and I’ve used it successfully for three years.”
Thanks to this decision, Najjissa has been able to space her children well—her firstborn is now five years old and in school, and her second child is one year old. She says family planning has given her the ability to support her family and work productively. “Our children are healthy because we can take care of them and provide a balanced diet,” she adds. “I look strong and healthy because I gave my body time to rest.”
Najjissa deeply appreciates Shared Action Africa for their role in her journey. “They moved me into the world of technology where child spacing is helping families grow financially,” she says. “We are happy and managing well as a family because we only have the children we can afford.”
Her story is a powerful testimony to how informed choices in reproductive health can empower women, strengthen families, and build better futures.