Breaking the Cycle: Adolescent Pregnancy and TulaHealth Initiative

Meet Dr. Sareen Ali, a dedicated Canadian physician originally from India and raised in South Africa, who has seen first-hand in Guatemala the need for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) support and education. “When you work as a physician, you develop very close relationships with your patients and you are aware of the barriers and challenges that they face when accessing health care services,” says Dr. Ali. “The reason I’m so passionate about this project comes from having had that personal experience with health inequity, along with a deep interest in how gender plays into it.”

In 2023, Guatemalan health officials recorded more than 62,000 pregnancies among girls and women aged 10 to 19. For perspective, that’s nearly double the entire population of Monaco. Behind every number is a story of adolescent girls whose lives have been forever changed by early and/or unplanned motherhood.?

In many parts of the world, adolescent girls are facing challenges that drastically alter their childhood and future. TulaHealth’s latest initiative, entitled Empowering Indigenous Adolescents and Women for Equitable Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), focuses on empowering marginalized Indigenous communities, supporting essential education, and reducing adolescent pregnancies and maternal mortality.?

“What we are trying to do is something so crucial, which is to empower women and girls in marginalized Indigenous communities to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and rights,” says Dr. Ali.?

In partnership with TulaHealth, Canada continues to support the SRHR needs and education of adolescents, in addition to global health goals.?

Learn more: https://tulahealth.org/news/something-so-crucial