PEER TO PEER LEARNING PAVED THE TRUE PATH OF LIFE!
Fatuma, a 25 years old young woman, has been working in Kombolcha Industrial Park at Traybus Garment Factory as a cutter for the last two years
“I was very shy and timid in participating in group discussions and I used to feel that others had a negative attitude against me. My family planning, sexually transmitted disease, reproductive infections, sexual and gender based violence knowledge was very limited.” Fatuma.
Aimed at capacitating vulnerable groups like Fatuma through providing a range of SRH and SGBV information and services, a project entitled Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Prevention and Management Project for Vulnerable Groups in Kombolcha City Administration has been underway since September 2019 by HDADA funded by UNFPA.
The project targeted vulnerable youth working at Kombolcha industrial park and surrounding communities. Fatuma, working at Traybus Garment Factory, has been one of the beneficiaries of this project. Accordingly, she has got the chance to participate in the weekly peer to peer session for eight rounds that acquainted her with basic information and knowledge about STIs, reproductive health infections, SGBV problems and life skills. Fatuma shared her experience to the peer group members during the peer discussion as follows.
Learning from Fatuma’s problem during the peer session, the peer educator together with the Para social worker referred her to a nearby health center where she got professional counseling and appropriate treatment. Getting relief, Fatuma shared her peers that the cause of her sufferings was the Depo-Provera contraceptive choice she used for a long time and based on the health professional guidance she changed and started using other FP alternative.
Regarding the benefits of peer sessions, Fatuma said that
By now, Fatuma and her peer group members developed the experience of seeing a nurse in the nearby health center periodically to get right based youth friendly services. With this referral linkage Fatuma and her group members have been provided with SRH services. Besides, they have joined the SGBV prevention and management campaign at Kombolcha Industrial park and the surrounding.