Statues for Change in Honduras: informing is caring
In order to change hearts and minds, we need more than just words. In Hivos’ We Lead program, a global collective of young women is working to improve sexual and reproductive rights in many different ways.
Informing is Caring: the power of education
The We Lead team in Honduras launched a campaign called “Informar es Cuidar” (Informing is Caring) with an exhibit of three statues of teenagers made by local artists. The statues are covered in testimonies from young Hondurans on how a lack of education about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), teenage pregnancy, abuse, and family problems has affected their lives.
The program’s Community of Action fundamentally believes in the transformative power of education and strives to work as a team with parents, teachers, decision makers, and students to remedy this situation. When the presidential veto of the Law on Comprehensive Education for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy in Honduras stirred up controversy, the campaign reached out to Honduran parents and caregivers. We called for their support in bringing comprehensive sex education into schools and opening a conversation in Honduran society around this subject.
Jóse
Jóse is one of the many young people in Honduras living in fear of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Jóse’s story raises awareness about how the lack of education about STIs can shape the future of young people.
Andrea
Andrea represents many young women in Honduras who have faced difficult situations related to pregnancy, abuse, and a lack of information about consent.
Statues that tell real people’s stories
The use of real stories and voices encouraged Hondurans to start thinking and talking about the taboo subject. People used the exhibit and social media to share their experiences and reflect on the value of having access to comprehensive sexuality education. This in a country where three girls give birth every hour and which has the second highest teenage pregnancy rate in Latin America.
The exhibit is now touring through key cities in Honduras, and the team has even received requests from leading educational institutions to visit them. The campaign’s content has spread across social media, television, and radio, and has led to numerous interviews with spokespeople and subject experts from the Community of Action.
About this initiative
The co-creation process of the campaign was supported by M&C Saatchi, the technical partner in the We Lead program.
