Reproductive and sexual health has a major impact on women’s biographies in Sudan, as Bana members have experienced and documented in the participatory study “Voices from the Margins”. While marital status and child bearing is a social status symbol, the prevailing medical services, legal frameworks and cultural practices are not a conducive environment for healthy reproductive practices, and bodily autonomy of girls and women. Female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to be practiced widely, with the prevalence being 89% among women in 2014. When it comes to family planning, cultural and religious factors present a barrier for mothers to ensure medically recommended birth spacing and avoiding unwanted pregnancies – which presents a health risk for mother and child – not to speak of the economic burden and care labour intensity. The statistics on early marriage are high, with the prevalence of early marriage being closely tied to education levels. Women and girls in marginalised comunities are confronted with multiple facets of discrimination, making it difficult to access appropriate health services and education.
Our approach:
Bana Group for Peace and Development members and training facilitators themselves come from communities highly affected by FGM and early marriage, therefore, they have an in depth knowledge of cultural stigmata, false information circulating and generational differences. We view it as essential to create intergenerational dialogue among women and girls about reproductive and sexual health as well as rights, strengthen the knowledge of women about their own bodies and in particular the harmful aspects of early marriage and FGM. Further, Bana strives to involve men in the target communities in the future to achieve th
- Dialogue sessions with a focus on female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage
- Workshops with women in the reproductive age
- Awareness campaigns
Completed activities:
Dialogue sessions with women from different age groups in several villages in West Kordofan Workshop with community activists and girls school teachers in Tokar, Red Sea State