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Stories

Latest stories from IPPF

Spotlight

A selection of stories from across the Federation

CSE Choice

Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, St Lucia

Story

Revolutionizing CSE: Latin American and Caribbean Youth Leading the Charge!

The article sheds light on the critical lack of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for young people in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through the personal stories of youth advocates Claudia Helena Castro Nieto and Shenelle Mc Donald, it explores the challenges they faced and the transformative impact of CSE.
Kiamara Meneses
story

| 10 May 2021

A confident and accessible place

Two clients of sexual and reproductive health counseling services agree that trust is one of the most valued aspects. Danitza Gonzales, the 28-year-old personal trainer, came to Inppares on the recommendation of a friend: “I felt great with the counseling. The same doctor gave me all the confidence to be able to tell her my issues and my doubts that are still taboo, she knew how to guide me”. Kiamara Meneses, 25, a sociologist, says that she found out about the institution through Facebook and when she arrived at counseling with her partner she felt confident: “We liked the way the explanation was provided and it was all very clear, so we kept coming back all of 2019, until 2020, because I was considering having a subdermal implant and I came to consult”, she commented. “What I liked the most about the counseling service was that there was no such luck of judging people, which had happened to me in other health facilities, where if I asked for a longer-lasting method, such as an implant or an IUD They put limitations on having children before or things like that. Here I understood that there are no restrictions to use a particular method and that seemed super important to me”, adds Kiamara. Among other aspects that the users highlight is the accessible price and the central location. “The cost seemed adequate to me, in addition to the treatment they gave me. So I stayed. When someone asks me where to go to seek contraceptive counseling or advice, I share the experience I have had, in addition to the fact that the place is very central and the price is very convenient,”says Danitza. “What I mainly like are the services Inppares has, in addition to counseling, the ease of accessing the methods, because they always have campaigns and also the HIV test; in addition to the Future Youth Center; so, it is a fairly comprehensive place and I would definitely recommend it. It contributes a lot to the lives of young people because information empowers. Young women can have a differentiated service that meets their needs, empowers them to make informed decisions about their bodies”, concludes Kiamara.  Danitza agrees that “Services like these have a great impact on the lives of women and men in order to make informed and responsible decisions; they should promote them more in schools and universities”.

Kiamara Meneses
story

| 27 March 2024

A confident and accessible place

Two clients of sexual and reproductive health counseling services agree that trust is one of the most valued aspects. Danitza Gonzales, the 28-year-old personal trainer, came to Inppares on the recommendation of a friend: “I felt great with the counseling. The same doctor gave me all the confidence to be able to tell her my issues and my doubts that are still taboo, she knew how to guide me”. Kiamara Meneses, 25, a sociologist, says that she found out about the institution through Facebook and when she arrived at counseling with her partner she felt confident: “We liked the way the explanation was provided and it was all very clear, so we kept coming back all of 2019, until 2020, because I was considering having a subdermal implant and I came to consult”, she commented. “What I liked the most about the counseling service was that there was no such luck of judging people, which had happened to me in other health facilities, where if I asked for a longer-lasting method, such as an implant or an IUD They put limitations on having children before or things like that. Here I understood that there are no restrictions to use a particular method and that seemed super important to me”, adds Kiamara. Among other aspects that the users highlight is the accessible price and the central location. “The cost seemed adequate to me, in addition to the treatment they gave me. So I stayed. When someone asks me where to go to seek contraceptive counseling or advice, I share the experience I have had, in addition to the fact that the place is very central and the price is very convenient,”says Danitza. “What I mainly like are the services Inppares has, in addition to counseling, the ease of accessing the methods, because they always have campaigns and also the HIV test; in addition to the Future Youth Center; so, it is a fairly comprehensive place and I would definitely recommend it. It contributes a lot to the lives of young people because information empowers. Young women can have a differentiated service that meets their needs, empowers them to make informed decisions about their bodies”, concludes Kiamara.  Danitza agrees that “Services like these have a great impact on the lives of women and men in order to make informed and responsible decisions; they should promote them more in schools and universities”.

peru
story

| 10 May 2021

Counseling in Sexual and Reproductive Health, a space where you can talk.

Leny de la Mata Aquino has been working at Inppares since 2003, after working in public health establishments in the highlands of Peru and moving to the capital. “I came to Inppares invited by a colleague and I liked that we were working on rights; it was an awakening in sexual health. Because, although it is true, I am an obstetrician, I had not been trained in sexual and reproductive health and rights. And I learned a lot,” she recalls. “I also liked the camaraderie and working in a small institution, we treated each other like family. I had many perspectives in the sense of knowing a different environment because I had worked in the provinces for a long time and the realities are completely different”, says Leny. From her work experience at Inppares, Leny de la Mata highly values ​​the bond that is developed with the people who come to the services, which contributes a lot to an informed decision and a strengthening of self-care. “When you are close to people, you contribute a lot. As obstetricians, we dedicate ourselves to patients, we feel the many needs of users who come to the service, with many doubts regarding their sexual and reproductive health, with much ignorance of sexually transmitted diseases. Many people protect themselves from pregnancy, but not from STIs,” she says. As a counselor in sexual and reproductive health, Leny is aware of the importance that the empowerment of a women has on her body. “We also seek to empower women so they can recognize they have rights, which are above the decision of their partner. Before, couples had to consent to the choice of voluntary surgical intervention, but now it is not necessary and women have to make their own decisions. So far, we have users who ask their partners to determine a method of contraception, but we insist that the decision be made by her, we ask her: "What would you like?" It is important to empower them because sometimes the partner wants one thing and the woman wants another,” she says. In the day-to-day of counseling, Leny must also provide attention to cases surrounded by gender-based violence, which represents a very great challenge: “Machismo is cultivated since childhood.  That, in some way, is making it difficult to correct some things so far, because it’s part of the culture transmitted from generation to generation”, she reflects. “Inppares services are comprehensive; in other places, the counseling focuses only on contraceptive methods because they only see it as family planning, but here the counseling is comprehensive; from the moment the patient is admitted, he or she comes as a whole person. If I find a problem that I cannot solve, we have other professionals who can provide care, that helps us to provide the care people need”, Leny concludes.

peru
story

| 27 March 2024

Counseling in Sexual and Reproductive Health, a space where you can talk.

Leny de la Mata Aquino has been working at Inppares since 2003, after working in public health establishments in the highlands of Peru and moving to the capital. “I came to Inppares invited by a colleague and I liked that we were working on rights; it was an awakening in sexual health. Because, although it is true, I am an obstetrician, I had not been trained in sexual and reproductive health and rights. And I learned a lot,” she recalls. “I also liked the camaraderie and working in a small institution, we treated each other like family. I had many perspectives in the sense of knowing a different environment because I had worked in the provinces for a long time and the realities are completely different”, says Leny. From her work experience at Inppares, Leny de la Mata highly values ​​the bond that is developed with the people who come to the services, which contributes a lot to an informed decision and a strengthening of self-care. “When you are close to people, you contribute a lot. As obstetricians, we dedicate ourselves to patients, we feel the many needs of users who come to the service, with many doubts regarding their sexual and reproductive health, with much ignorance of sexually transmitted diseases. Many people protect themselves from pregnancy, but not from STIs,” she says. As a counselor in sexual and reproductive health, Leny is aware of the importance that the empowerment of a women has on her body. “We also seek to empower women so they can recognize they have rights, which are above the decision of their partner. Before, couples had to consent to the choice of voluntary surgical intervention, but now it is not necessary and women have to make their own decisions. So far, we have users who ask their partners to determine a method of contraception, but we insist that the decision be made by her, we ask her: "What would you like?" It is important to empower them because sometimes the partner wants one thing and the woman wants another,” she says. In the day-to-day of counseling, Leny must also provide attention to cases surrounded by gender-based violence, which represents a very great challenge: “Machismo is cultivated since childhood.  That, in some way, is making it difficult to correct some things so far, because it’s part of the culture transmitted from generation to generation”, she reflects. “Inppares services are comprehensive; in other places, the counseling focuses only on contraceptive methods because they only see it as family planning, but here the counseling is comprehensive; from the moment the patient is admitted, he or she comes as a whole person. If I find a problem that I cannot solve, we have other professionals who can provide care, that helps us to provide the care people need”, Leny concludes.

Kiamara Meneses
story

| 10 May 2021

A confident and accessible place

Two clients of sexual and reproductive health counseling services agree that trust is one of the most valued aspects. Danitza Gonzales, the 28-year-old personal trainer, came to Inppares on the recommendation of a friend: “I felt great with the counseling. The same doctor gave me all the confidence to be able to tell her my issues and my doubts that are still taboo, she knew how to guide me”. Kiamara Meneses, 25, a sociologist, says that she found out about the institution through Facebook and when she arrived at counseling with her partner she felt confident: “We liked the way the explanation was provided and it was all very clear, so we kept coming back all of 2019, until 2020, because I was considering having a subdermal implant and I came to consult”, she commented. “What I liked the most about the counseling service was that there was no such luck of judging people, which had happened to me in other health facilities, where if I asked for a longer-lasting method, such as an implant or an IUD They put limitations on having children before or things like that. Here I understood that there are no restrictions to use a particular method and that seemed super important to me”, adds Kiamara. Among other aspects that the users highlight is the accessible price and the central location. “The cost seemed adequate to me, in addition to the treatment they gave me. So I stayed. When someone asks me where to go to seek contraceptive counseling or advice, I share the experience I have had, in addition to the fact that the place is very central and the price is very convenient,”says Danitza. “What I mainly like are the services Inppares has, in addition to counseling, the ease of accessing the methods, because they always have campaigns and also the HIV test; in addition to the Future Youth Center; so, it is a fairly comprehensive place and I would definitely recommend it. It contributes a lot to the lives of young people because information empowers. Young women can have a differentiated service that meets their needs, empowers them to make informed decisions about their bodies”, concludes Kiamara.  Danitza agrees that “Services like these have a great impact on the lives of women and men in order to make informed and responsible decisions; they should promote them more in schools and universities”.

Kiamara Meneses
story

| 27 March 2024

A confident and accessible place

Two clients of sexual and reproductive health counseling services agree that trust is one of the most valued aspects. Danitza Gonzales, the 28-year-old personal trainer, came to Inppares on the recommendation of a friend: “I felt great with the counseling. The same doctor gave me all the confidence to be able to tell her my issues and my doubts that are still taboo, she knew how to guide me”. Kiamara Meneses, 25, a sociologist, says that she found out about the institution through Facebook and when she arrived at counseling with her partner she felt confident: “We liked the way the explanation was provided and it was all very clear, so we kept coming back all of 2019, until 2020, because I was considering having a subdermal implant and I came to consult”, she commented. “What I liked the most about the counseling service was that there was no such luck of judging people, which had happened to me in other health facilities, where if I asked for a longer-lasting method, such as an implant or an IUD They put limitations on having children before or things like that. Here I understood that there are no restrictions to use a particular method and that seemed super important to me”, adds Kiamara. Among other aspects that the users highlight is the accessible price and the central location. “The cost seemed adequate to me, in addition to the treatment they gave me. So I stayed. When someone asks me where to go to seek contraceptive counseling or advice, I share the experience I have had, in addition to the fact that the place is very central and the price is very convenient,”says Danitza. “What I mainly like are the services Inppares has, in addition to counseling, the ease of accessing the methods, because they always have campaigns and also the HIV test; in addition to the Future Youth Center; so, it is a fairly comprehensive place and I would definitely recommend it. It contributes a lot to the lives of young people because information empowers. Young women can have a differentiated service that meets their needs, empowers them to make informed decisions about their bodies”, concludes Kiamara.  Danitza agrees that “Services like these have a great impact on the lives of women and men in order to make informed and responsible decisions; they should promote them more in schools and universities”.

peru
story

| 10 May 2021

Counseling in Sexual and Reproductive Health, a space where you can talk.

Leny de la Mata Aquino has been working at Inppares since 2003, after working in public health establishments in the highlands of Peru and moving to the capital. “I came to Inppares invited by a colleague and I liked that we were working on rights; it was an awakening in sexual health. Because, although it is true, I am an obstetrician, I had not been trained in sexual and reproductive health and rights. And I learned a lot,” she recalls. “I also liked the camaraderie and working in a small institution, we treated each other like family. I had many perspectives in the sense of knowing a different environment because I had worked in the provinces for a long time and the realities are completely different”, says Leny. From her work experience at Inppares, Leny de la Mata highly values ​​the bond that is developed with the people who come to the services, which contributes a lot to an informed decision and a strengthening of self-care. “When you are close to people, you contribute a lot. As obstetricians, we dedicate ourselves to patients, we feel the many needs of users who come to the service, with many doubts regarding their sexual and reproductive health, with much ignorance of sexually transmitted diseases. Many people protect themselves from pregnancy, but not from STIs,” she says. As a counselor in sexual and reproductive health, Leny is aware of the importance that the empowerment of a women has on her body. “We also seek to empower women so they can recognize they have rights, which are above the decision of their partner. Before, couples had to consent to the choice of voluntary surgical intervention, but now it is not necessary and women have to make their own decisions. So far, we have users who ask their partners to determine a method of contraception, but we insist that the decision be made by her, we ask her: "What would you like?" It is important to empower them because sometimes the partner wants one thing and the woman wants another,” she says. In the day-to-day of counseling, Leny must also provide attention to cases surrounded by gender-based violence, which represents a very great challenge: “Machismo is cultivated since childhood.  That, in some way, is making it difficult to correct some things so far, because it’s part of the culture transmitted from generation to generation”, she reflects. “Inppares services are comprehensive; in other places, the counseling focuses only on contraceptive methods because they only see it as family planning, but here the counseling is comprehensive; from the moment the patient is admitted, he or she comes as a whole person. If I find a problem that I cannot solve, we have other professionals who can provide care, that helps us to provide the care people need”, Leny concludes.

peru
story

| 27 March 2024

Counseling in Sexual and Reproductive Health, a space where you can talk.

Leny de la Mata Aquino has been working at Inppares since 2003, after working in public health establishments in the highlands of Peru and moving to the capital. “I came to Inppares invited by a colleague and I liked that we were working on rights; it was an awakening in sexual health. Because, although it is true, I am an obstetrician, I had not been trained in sexual and reproductive health and rights. And I learned a lot,” she recalls. “I also liked the camaraderie and working in a small institution, we treated each other like family. I had many perspectives in the sense of knowing a different environment because I had worked in the provinces for a long time and the realities are completely different”, says Leny. From her work experience at Inppares, Leny de la Mata highly values ​​the bond that is developed with the people who come to the services, which contributes a lot to an informed decision and a strengthening of self-care. “When you are close to people, you contribute a lot. As obstetricians, we dedicate ourselves to patients, we feel the many needs of users who come to the service, with many doubts regarding their sexual and reproductive health, with much ignorance of sexually transmitted diseases. Many people protect themselves from pregnancy, but not from STIs,” she says. As a counselor in sexual and reproductive health, Leny is aware of the importance that the empowerment of a women has on her body. “We also seek to empower women so they can recognize they have rights, which are above the decision of their partner. Before, couples had to consent to the choice of voluntary surgical intervention, but now it is not necessary and women have to make their own decisions. So far, we have users who ask their partners to determine a method of contraception, but we insist that the decision be made by her, we ask her: "What would you like?" It is important to empower them because sometimes the partner wants one thing and the woman wants another,” she says. In the day-to-day of counseling, Leny must also provide attention to cases surrounded by gender-based violence, which represents a very great challenge: “Machismo is cultivated since childhood.  That, in some way, is making it difficult to correct some things so far, because it’s part of the culture transmitted from generation to generation”, she reflects. “Inppares services are comprehensive; in other places, the counseling focuses only on contraceptive methods because they only see it as family planning, but here the counseling is comprehensive; from the moment the patient is admitted, he or she comes as a whole person. If I find a problem that I cannot solve, we have other professionals who can provide care, that helps us to provide the care people need”, Leny concludes.