The Association “Motivație” of Moldova has launched the project “Everyone’s Access to Inclusive Sexual and Reproductive Health Services” so as to change the attitude and behavior of society towards persons with disabilities, including among providers of reproductive health services and decision makers. The project will last for ten months and will be implemented in the districts of Soroca and Cahul.
“The theme of the project is new for us. We chose a district from southern Moldova and another one from northern Moldova as these districts have participation councils that monitor the activity of district councils. We will cooperate with them within this project so that they could further monitor the activities and the project is continued,” Victoria Boțan, of “Motivație” Association, has told IPN.
The project includes working meetings with representatives of the local authorities, training sessions and accessibility assessments. “After assessing the accessibility of the Family Doctor’s Centers and Youth Friendly Health Center (four institutions from both of the districts), there will be compiled accessibility assessment reports that will include a set of recommendations for improving access to the assessed sanitary units,” stated Victoria Boțan, noting that training sessions will be organized for providers of reproductive health services.
“Motivație” executive director Ludmila Iachim said that by this project, the association aims to raise the awareness of representatives of the public authorities of all levels so that they realize that the persons with disabilities’ access to reproductive health services is a problem in Moldova and they should admit that specific and urgent measures should be taken in this field. The association aims to heighten the people’s awareness to the necessity of ensuring equal rights for all and to change the attitude and behavior to persons with disabilities.
“A person with sexual disabilities is asexual”, “A woman in wheelchair cannot give birth and take care of a child” - these are some of the stereotypes that contribute to an incorrect picture of the capacities of persons with disabilities to form a family. “Motivație” set the goal of fighting such stereotypes.
The project is implemented with the assistance of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
