Girls and women with disabilities continue to grapple with myriads of challenges as they seek Sexual Reproductive Health Services which are fundamental rights. To many of these Women, these services remain too far from reach and not regarded as Human Rights as is the case. A number of women with disabilities have become part of maternal death statistics, undergone forced sterilization, experienced unconsented hysterotomy due to the numerous barriers to equitable sexual reproductive health.
In January 2020, I was accepted in the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity program based at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington university, USA. The fellowship gave me an opportunity to learn more about Health Equity, leadership in health equity , mentorship in health equity and most importantly connected me to a community of Health Equity Leaders across the globe. As we embarked on our Health Equity Fellowship, COVID-19 Pandemic struck the world, little did we know that the pandemic would stay with us longer than we anticipated! Challenging health inequalities became more important than ever during the pandemic!
The pandemic redefined our lives by pushing the work that we do to the virtual platforms for almost two years! Thankfully, the travel restrictions eased a bit and we were able to connect with each other in Miami, Florida to reflect on health through the lense of Gender, Identity and Sexuality. Take a moment to watch and listen to our panel discussion on Sexual Reproductive Health!
It is so gratifying and fulfilling to belong to a lifelong community of fellows who have a shared vision of promoting healthier, fairer and more inclusive societies by combating health disparities!
