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Interested in learning more about creating safe spaces for sexual and reproductive health and rights? Three organisations, as well as youth who have been using these spaces, will share their experience.
Description:
Safe spaces can increase access to information on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for youth and other people who are marginalized, contributing to health equity. Safe space users in the Gaza strip and Ghana will provide reflections on how they’ve used these spaces and their ideas for improvement. Speakers from Norsaac (Ghana), the Abdel Shafi Community Health Association (Gaza) and the Culture and Free Thought Association (Gaza) will share their insights on how to create physical and virtual safe spaces for SRHR that reach young people, people living with disabilities and survivors of gender-based violence, among others.
Speakers:
Mariam Shaqura, Women’s Affairs Director, Abdel Shafi Community Health Association, Gaza
Mariam has over twenty years of experience working in women health, reproductive and sexual health, and gender-based violence management including prevention, protection and response. She has been the Director of the Women Health Center in Gaza Strip for 14 years. She was one of 16 people worldwide to win a creative women prize for her work on GBV. Beyond her work with ACHA she has participated in designing a Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan with Alianza and creating an internal protection mechanism for COSPE. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in public health.
Firyal Thabet, Women’s Health Center Director, Culture and Free Thought Association, Gaza
Firyal is a gender and health specialist with more than twenty of years of experience working on reproductive and sexual health, women issues and GBV-related issues. She is the Director of Women Health Center in the Gaza Strip. She has extensive experience in providing consultancy and conducting research on GBV, protection and gender analyses with international, national and private organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from Bethlehem University, a master’s degree in public health from AL Quads University and a post graduate diploma from Gaza Community Mental Health and Berlin University in Professional technical supervision.
Hafsatu Sey Sumani, Head of Programs, Policy and Campaigns, Norsaac, Ghana
Hafsatu co-founded Norsaac and has been involved in social work for the past 20 years from being a peer educator and facilitator and to work in organization development, leadership, mentorship and coaching as well as networking and collaboration. She holds a Master of Science in Local Economic Development as well as Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Development Studies. She is also trained as a teacher and taught for five years in Ghana. She has also mentored organizations in Sierra Leone to successfully advocate for the inclusion of Reproductive Health Education in school curriculum.
Nakidu Kassim, Student, Ghana
Nakidu, 20, is from Kpandai in the Northern Region, Ghana. She obtained a scholarship and is completing her final year at the Registered Midwifery and Training college, Kpembe. and is Student Representative Council President (first female to hold this position), as well as President of the Model Girls Alumni. She is the Kpandai Cluster Secretary for CAMA and as an active CAMFED Association member, benefited from the business startup kit. She loves advocating for the less privileged, creating awareness around SRHR, mentoring young girls, and empowering them to take up leadership roles and participate meaningfully in decision making.
The discussion wiill be moderated by Heidi Monk, Senior Program Officer, Oxfam-Québec. The speakers are working together in Oxfam-Québec’s Power to Choose program with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada.
Learn more about the Power to Choose program here.
