Dear Friends,
Welcome to the September issue of WVD’s newsletter. As we celebrate International Contraception Day, we have invited midwives into the conversation to discuss their natural position as trusted experts on contraception after birth. Please welcome contributors Sandra Oyarzo Torres, President of the International Confederation of Midwives, and Maria Eugenia Montesinos, Director of Midwifery Services at NYU Langone.
WVD is launching an initiative to give midwives around the world access to up-to-date and accurate information about vasectomy as an option for men whose families are complete. Midwives are ideally suited to deliver this information where other methods fail. First, they are already delivering services in “the last mile”, which other methods don’t always reach, and they often are able to speak directly to the father who is acting as his wife’s birthing partner, and also to the woman who is considering her options once the baby is born.
In fact, we are hosting a symposium on November 12 in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, specifically for midwives. Please save the date, as it will be a virtual as well as a locally attended event. Stay tuned for more information!
Another upcoming event is a webinar on September 20 titled “Vasectosex: Everything You Wanted to Know about Sex after Vasectomy”, where a panel of experts will weigh in on the questions that men might be afraid to ask. It promises to be an eye-opening experience!
Please look for WVD at the upcoming International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Bogotá, where we’ll be presenting three different sessions. The first, by Silvana Resendy Birhuett, is WVD Academy: Transformative Training: A Global Model for Training in Vasectomy and Male Reproductive Health, which will introduce the concepts of the academy to the audience of sexual and reproductive health professionals, along with a demonstration of the platform. The second, also by Silvana, is WVD Connect: Digital Innovation for Men’s Reproductive Autonomy, which describes a pilot program WVD developed to prove that a digital platform can be an effective bridge between the desire for information and access to men’s sexual and reproductive health services. The final session, by Sheila Gabeya Dimon, The WVD Responsible Men’s Club: Advancing Reproductive Equity Through Increased Male Engagement in Zambia. The program targets men who have undergone vasectomy at the WVD clinic, and at government and partner-supported health facilities. Upon enrollment, participants receive training in community engagement, health education, and public advocacy. Currently, the program has 500 members in Uganda and Zambia, and is providing WVD with a blueprint for launching in other countries.
In addition to this news, please find updates from Zambia, Uganda, and El Salvador in the current issue. We’re sorry if it’s a little long this month, but it’s a tribute to all that WVD is doing to fulfill its vision of Capacity Building, Education and Access to Care, and Changing Mindsets!
