Community-Based Sexual and Reproductive Health Officers Programme: A Successful Strategy to Advance SRHR for Women and Young People with Disabilities in the Pacific Region

Authors: Fijian Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), UNFPA Pacific, the Pacific Disability Forum, the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation (FDPF), and Medical Services Pacific (MSP)

Date of publication: March 16, 2023

In the latest phase of WEI’s ongoing project* in the Pacific Island countries, implemented in collaboration with the Fijian Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), UNFPA Pacific, the Pacific Disability Forum, the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation (FDPF), and Medical Services Pacific (MSP), WEI responded to a key learning from the jointly produced extensive needs assessments in the region by piloting a program to train women with disabilities to act as community-based health officers. Specifically, this program is aimed at increasing knowledge and expanding access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for women and young people with and without disabilities in Central and Western Fiji. This resource summarizes the pilot’s methodology as well as key achievements and lessons learned. 

Key findings and recommendations from our work documenting most prevalent forms of intersectional discrimination against women and girls with disabilities in Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu are sumarized here: 

🇫🇯Fiji: https://bit.ly/PwDFiji   

🇼🇸Samoa: https://bit.ly/PwDSamoa   

🇻🇺Vanuatu: https://bit.ly/PwDVanuatu  

More details about the pilot are available here: https://womenenabled.org/expanding-access-to-sexual-and-reproductive-health-information-and-services/ 

* This project is supported under the UNFPA Pacific’s Transformative Agenda for Women, Adolescents and Youth in the Pacific program funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).