Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights 4 All
Bhutan | YPEER Bhutan | 2023
Kuzu zangpo la!
We are Y-PEER Bhutan, a vibrant community of over 2,000 youth-led volunteers and peer educators, dedicated to advocating Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), inspiring young people to adopt healthier lifestyles.
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18 - 25 years old
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Zhemgang
Mongar
Trashigang
Thimphu
The Right-Sized Problem
In the eastern region of Bhutan, there's been a spike in cases of unplanned pregnancies. Why is this happening? Because there’s a lack of awareness on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights among youth. Opportunities in our area are not equally distributed too, with women being put in the worst situations. We knew we had to do something about it.
What did we do?
We traveled to remote areas, specifically to schools in Zhemgang, Mongar and Trashigang to hold Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights fun workshops for students and teachers.
In our engaging 2-day workshop, participants enjoyed fun activities like the “30 seconds of fame”, “The Power Walk”, ”Letter to Future Self” and ”Wall of Pledge”. Students penned letters to themselves, nurturing self-awareness and empowerment. The Wall of Pledge was an impactful activity, where Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights champions, teachers and local leaders placed their hand prints over concerning headlines related to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. It was a powerful testament to the community’s commitment to combat issues like teenage pregnancy, rape, gender-based violence.
We produced 6 episodes on our podcast, with our guests sharing insights and experiences on hard hitting topics like consent and the patriarchy. On our social media, we engaged a wider audience by posting challenges, and letting them know that we are doing workshops in the Eastern region.
Hand paint on paper: A simple yet powerful way to commit to a cause
“Letter to future me”: Nothing beats a classic way through our hearts - writing letters!
Podcast: TikTok might get your attention for 10 seconds but long-format media like podcasts allow space for storytelling and deep dives!
Campaign Impact
Our journey to schools opened doors to share vital knowledge, turning students and teachers into advocates for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. Our small efforts caught the eye of Bhutan's oldest and largest newspaper, not just once, but twice, shining a light on our cause.
The real magic, though, came from the engaging activities led by the youth. These fun experiences built a strong foundation of support and commitment from students and school leaders, to tackle serious issues like rape, gender-based violence, and teenage pregnancy.
Impact in Numbers
1,224 students and 101 teachers learned about Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights
30 students per school were identified as champions of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights
🎉
We got so many messages from young people in other regions of Bhutan asking us if we can come to their schools too!
Words from a student
“NOW, I HAVE GAINED CONFIDENCE AND KNOW HOW TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC. I KNOW ALL ABOUT SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS AND I AM PART OF IT.
I WANT TO BE MORE CONFIDENT AND SHARE ALL THE INFORMATION WITH MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.”
Sonam Yoechen Dema
Student
