Breaking taboos and taking responsibility

In the Horyzon project "My Body, My Right, My Future", Tambua Peter Donato Alfred acquired useful knowledge about the female and male body as well as about sexual and reproductive health. Topics like that are taboo in South Sudan, leading to teenage pregnancies, among other things.

Although he is only 19 years old, Tambua Peter Donato Alfred has decided to take responsibility for his young wife and their son. The three live together in Yambio, South Sudan.

Peter is the secretary of the Young Christian Women Association (YWCA) health club and is dedicated to keeping the young members of the club together. In doing so, he teaches, encourages and entertains them. He also leads dance and singing groups. He himself has also learned a lot in the Horyzon project: "YWCA recorded the female reproductive system for us," he says. "Unfortunately, my wife and I didn't know about it before we had a child together. Still, this is not the end of us. We will take good care of the baby."

Peter has also learned more about his body, hygiene and protection against diseases in the project. As a child, he had to work a lot at home, so he could hardly play with friends or go to school. Today, he knows that every child has the right to attend school and to be able to have fun. In the health clubs, participants discuss these issues and some members now talk about them with their parents. Certain parents listen and send their children back to school.