Dear WVD Supporters,
September has passed, and October has arrived and yes, as always, there’s a lot going on at WVD, but here are five things we’re embarking on that you should know about:
- Given the challenges to sexual and reproductive health faced in the US, WVD is deepening our commitment with an exciting new venture: XY³. Learn about it in this issue! Led by the project’s executive director, Christine Clark, and myself, we are taking to the road to inspire men to rise up out of love for themselves, their partners, their families, and our future.
- WVD 2026’s 24 Hour Global Celebration and Vasectomy-athon is scheduled to take place from Thursday, November 19 – Friday, November 20th. This year’s event will be virtual with participation of 100s of partners and allies in over 25 countries including doctors, patients, partners, family planning specialists, leaders in sexual and reproductive health, and a lot of cool media.
- On November 22, in Wales, in collaboration with Dr. Melanie Atkinson, our liaison and partner at the UK based ASPC (Association of Surgeons in Primary Care) , we are organizing a one day workshop, led by Dr. Michel Labrecque and Dr. John Curington. They will be training 8 British vasectomy surgeons to work as WVD trainers in Africa. They will be mentoring young providers in both Uganda and Zambia.
- Building on the success of our World Vasectomy Cup 2026 event held in July, we are committed to doubling down on the theme, FAMILY PLANNING IS A TEAM SPORT, at the Women’s World Cup Event taking place June 24-July 25th, 2027 in Brazil. More details in the coming months, but we will be in Brazil then to train, teach and inspire men to become generous and engaged ‘team members’ in the game of life.
- We are ecstatic to be launching WVD-Canada. With executive director Maria Fernanda Cepeda at the helm, and Dedra Smith, Nadine Kellogg, and Dr. Michel Labrecque on the board, this entity will take over global programming. This is an exciting opportunity for us to broaden our reach and to launch our movement from what Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney referred to as a “Middle-Sized Power”. As he said, WVD is committed to be ‘at the table’ but never to be ‘on the menu!’.
WVD is continuously evolving because of the amazing people who have brought their blood, sweat, tears… and love to our movement. In that spirit, I’ve asked some of the key contributors to reflect on where we came from, where we are and where we’re going next.
And a special shout-out to our financial controller, Harry Thorold, and his wife for their newly arrived son, Valentino, and gratitude and best wishes to Alison Hoover, who has and will always have a home at WVD, even as she brings her skills to other organizations committed to this critical work. In acknowledgment of her many contributions to our work, I close with Alison Hoover’s rendition of “A Vasectomy is a Girl’s Best Friend.
Onwards,
