SRHR-Adventures (SRHR-A) has been putting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) on the fore burner in Guyana; a country that is geographically South American but culturally Caribbean. Our target audiences are adolescent girls and women; however, men and boys are not left out of our conversations since to do such would be counterproductive in the promotion of Women’s and Girls’ SRHR.
We have been; tackling taboo topics, dismantling the myths surrounding the use of contraception, creating safe spaces for young people to talk about sex and all things sex-related, promoting cervical cancer screening and the HPV vaccine and providing sanitary napkins to women and girls who cannot afford them monthly among other projects. Further, all projects we undertake are geared towards a better Guyana; A Guyana, where “every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled”.
For example, we executed a project captioned “The Parushi Club” where we sought to transform girls into dynamic young women! It is a mentorship and awareness program that seeks to engage young women within the ages of ten (10) to nineteen (19) from a disenfranchised community. It aimed to teach adolescent females about their bodies while enhancing their awareness of SRHR and social issues. Thirty-nine young ladies graduated from the club on the 12th of May,2019 equipped with the tools to become kickass women!
Nevertheless, during medical school, I was exposed to the “theory” of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health. Yet, as a new graduate doctor, I was unaware of many things upon entering my clinical rotations at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Somewhere in my mind from the evidence presented on the streets of my country I knew that many persons were not planning their pregnancies. However, I had a harsh dose of reality when I worked in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Hospital. It is expected that every pregnant woman that visits the department whether she is in labor or she has a complication in the pregnancy that she is asked if her pregnancy was planned and what is her preferred future birth control method. Interestingly, 80% of the women responded that their pregnancies were not planned. I literally would rejoice when a woman said to me, "Yes, Doc, I planned this pregnancy," and I would commend her!
Further, I remember feeling as though the government, the education and health systems had failed the Guyanese people in those moments. How is it that you are having sex and you do not have a clue about birth control? However, I had to keep my composure, for it sure is not professional for a Doctor to become “emotional” in front of her patients.
I am convinced that when a woman can plan her pregnancies and take control of her sexuality and reproduction the possibilities are endless! Sadly, Guyana has a contraceptive prevalence rate of merely 34%. Besides, we have the second-highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in South America and the Caribbean and it was found that new cases of HIV infections are being reported mainly among 15-19 years old. With those statistics and indicators of poor SRH services in Guyana, one would imagine that comprehensive sexuality education in schools would be at the forefront of the country’s agenda! However, that is not the case and the abstinence-only sexual health education is still be enforced in schools and the youth are suffering.
It was against the aforementioned backdrop; my love for the promotion of the health and rights of women and girls and my countless encounters with females who had not a clue how to prevent an unwanted pregnancy that spawned my interest in family planning. Hence, I started SRHR-A in my living room with absolutely no money and a passion to promote SRHR. After being encouraged by my dear friend to quit talking about the issues and to do something about them! I launched my Facebook page SRHR-A with Dr. Pat on the 1st of Jan, 2017. The idea was simple to use social media as a force for good to promote SRHR. Then that idea evolved into facilitating sessions at local institutions.
The initial sessions that we planned were low-budgeted and monies came out of the pocket of members. We would facilitate sessions with nothing but a notebook and the use of our "voices". There was a time that we would invite ourselves to events and places. We would reach out and inquire if persons would wish to have us do a session for them. Now, we no longer need to do that and the demand to have us facilitate sessions is so high that we have to turn down offers now and then.
Ultimately, the work that we do is simple, but we are preventing diseases, fighting cancers and saving lives!