Dear Friends,
October is here, and with it comes the exciting anticipation of what has become a powerful tradition: World Vasectomy Day is just around the corner.
As we prepare for our annual celebration, this year in Argentina, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on the journey that has brought us here. Over the past year, WVD has worked tirelessly to amplify male participation in contraception and to encourage the emergence of positive, compassionate masculinities. These efforts have not only gained momentum but also produced tangible results, seeds planted long ago that are now bearing visible, meaningful fruit.
In this month’s newsletter, we invite you to explore some of these accomplishments.
Meanwhile, on the horizon is another milestone worth celebrating: the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), set to take place for the first time in Latin America, specifically in Colombia. For WVD, this event presents a unique opportunity to deepen alliances within the global reproductive health community and to showcase the innovation driving our work. We’ll be sharing updates on our digital platform, “WVD Connect”, the expansion of the “WVD Academy”, and the inspiring leadership of the “Responsible Men’s Club” in Zambia.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the dedication of our teams around the world. As always, this newsletter brings field updates from Latin America and Africa, where our colleagues continue to push boundaries, challenge norms, and make male engagement in reproductive health a lived reality.
But just as the work in the field expands, so too does the organization that supports it. I’m thrilled to share that WVD has reached a new level of institutional maturity. What began as a bold idea has grown into a global movement and now stands as a structured, sustainable organization. This past April, a diverse group of leaders formed WVD’s first Board of Directors, and in August, we held our inaugural board meeting. Together with Monica Kerrigan, Charles Blozinski, and Simon Nasht, I had the honor of hearing directly from our Executive Director, Jonathan Stack, whose passion and vision continue to inspire. As Chair of the Board, I’m excited to witness and help shape the next chapter of this remarkable organization.
I hope you find this edition of our newsletter as inspiring as the stories within it.We invite you to stay close as we move toward November’s celebration. And as always, let’s honor the right of individuals to make informed decisions about their fertility, and our shared commitment to a more equitable distribution of contraceptive responsibility.
Cheers!
Esgar Guarin, MD, MPH
Chair,Board of Directors
World Vasectomy Day
