the african wing of the catholic church is radically conservative and they have a lot to do with it. social stigma also. condoms are badly needed, but also a general attitude that using them is wise. it needs to be cool with the 'angry guy in the sky'. and cool with your neighbors/countrymen.
people make choices based on social pressure more than anything else. and people in survival mode tend to live more 'in the now'. we are used to planning for the future because we have the luxury. so while they may not reason out that it is unwise to have unprotected sex, if they inuitively feel that it is unwise based on social stigma they may make the right choice.
the priests, politicians, etc ,local and abroad, are to blame here and should be ashamed of their actions to date.
Ding! It's a complicated thing trying to do good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City_Policy - not condom specific but gives you an idea the kind of restrictions, coercion and penalties NGO have to face.
Critics of the Mexico City Policy refer to it as the "global gag rule", arguing that, in addition to reducing the overall funding provided to particular NGOs, it closes off their access to USAID-supplied condoms and other forms of contraception.[15] This, they argue, negatively impacts the ability of these NGOs to distribute birth control, leading to a downturn in contraceptive use and from there to an increase in the rates of unintended pregnancies and abortion.[15] Critics also argue that the ban promotes restrictions on free speech as well as restrictions on accurate medical information.[16][17][18][19] The European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development presented a petition to the United States Congress signed by 233 members condemning the policy. The forum has stated that the policy "undermines internationally agreed consensus and goals".[20]
Some more fun with US national politics
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/sep/25/aids.usaI don't envy these folks trolling in the mine field of family planning...
Edit:
Thanks for bringing it up UE. I probably wouldn't have read the B&MG Foundation brief on the subject otherwise.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/global-health/Documents/family-planning-strategy.pdfThe need to increase contraceptive R & D is a priority for our strategy, but we are increasingly aware that support for young scientists may be insufficient to reinvigorate a field that private companies have left. On September 2, 2009, we opened a Request for Proposal to develop contraceptive technologies as part of our grand Challenges Explorations initiative. This program awards small grants of $100,000 (U.S.) each to support early-stage research projects. Our hope is that we will tap into some new ideas that will support family-planning efforts in the future.
By focusing on increasing women’s access to contraceptives in Sub-Saharan africa and South asia, we strive to maximize our impact on the health of mothers and children. Reaching the millions of women and couples who desire contraceptives requires the dedication of
all our government, donor, private-sector, research, nongovernmental, and community partners. Because our resources are limited in relation to what is needed to address unmet needs globally, we work closely with other foundations and existing and emerging donors to ensure funds are spent well, improve policies, enhance the efficiency of services procurement and delivery, and, ultimately, save and improve lives.
How cool is that?
