South Sudan: Silvia is happy with the WISH project

Silvia Poni Philip, a 23-year-old student, lives on the island of Moneyit. Silvia, who has a hearing disability, recently took part in activities organized by the WISH project teams. For this young woman with a disability, a lack of accessible information in her community made it difficult for her to learn about sexual and reproductive health.

Acquiring new knowledge

The WISH (Women's Integrated Sexual Health) project was developed by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) in the UK, and then rolled out in several countries by a consortium of NGOs, including HI. The project is intended to strengthen support for integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights services in African and Asian countries. It is currently being implemented in 26 countries.

In South Sudan, the main objectives of the project teams are to strengthen family planning services for women with disabilities and young women, and to increase awareness among these women through activities engaging the community. The WISH teams in South Sudan are training local health staff to promote sexual and reproductive health among all members of the community.

These activities can be as simple as facilitating dialogue. Silvia enjoyed talking to the teams; she found it very instructive. She learned how to manage her emotions and understand the mechanisms of pregnancy prevention. Silvia is happy for herself, but she is also happy to be able to help and advise her friends.

Before the WISH project was deployed in South Sudan, Silvia had no access to resources on the subject of sexual and reproductive health and no knowledge of pregnancy prevention methods. She only knew what her mother had taught her: traditional reproduction. Today, she knows where to find information and who to turn to for help.

"I've learned a lot about reproductive health. ...I feel safe from the worry of getting pregnant before I've finished my studies."

Challenges and solutions

In her community, it is very difficult to talk about sexuality, even more so when you're a young woman with a disability. Sexuality is considered a taboo subject and young people don't feel comfortable discussing it with their elders. Moreover, the lack of documented resources makes access to information even more difficult. Silvia tells us that this is why she wants to continue learning from the WISH teams.

Silvia has learned a lot from the program. She now knows what it means to be of childbearing age and is even proposing ways of promoting the project among a wider public, starting with her village. She would like her whole community to be informed about sexual health issues. She also suggests sending messages in different formats, such as sign language, audio and Braille, to reach everyone, including people with disabilities.

She has one last message for the women of her community:

“All women should be very careful, especially when they are of childbearing age.”