Rural Sexual and Reproductive Health in Venezuela: Voices in Motion with Aya Contigo

(Series 3 – Stories of Transformation from the Ground)

In Venezuela, community work requires far more than goodwill. It means traveling long distances, navigating logistical barriers, and building trust with people who have historically been excluded from their rights.

This piece highlights the experience of Dr. Héctor Guerra, a physician at Servyr and community health promoter who has brought Aya Contigo to some of the most remote rural communities in Sucre state. His story offers a close, human look at how rural sexual and reproductive health is lived, taught, and transformed through local knowledge.

Rural sexual and reproductive health rooted in listening, trust, and shared knowledge

Héctor shares Aya Contigo information during a community session in Sucre, strengthening sexual and reproductive health in rural areas.

“We have to speak to people in a way they can truly understand,” Héctor explains, emphasizing the importance of adapting language, activities, and examples to each community’s rhythm and needs.

In rural contexts where time flows differently and information is scarce, his work is grounded in listening, education, and planting trust. His role extends beyond clinical responsibilities; it becomes a sustained act of pedagogical resistance—creating space for questions, clarity, and connection.

Family planning, autonomy, and access to information shift from abstract concepts to real, personal conversations. People begin relating their stories, decisions, and rights to the educational tools they receive.

Barriers shaping sexual and reproductive health access in rural Venezuela

Héctor describes three recurring challenges in his work across rural communities:

• Limited transportation

Distances are long and routes often require multiple, complex transfers.

• Little to no connectivity

Without internet or reliable signal, digital outreach faces very real obstacles.

• Difficult community mobilization

Gathering people demands creativity, patience, and time due to work schedules, agricultural routines, and caregiving responsibilities.

Despite these barriers, activities still flourish. With persistence, strategy, and the power of conversation, educational sessions take root and meaningful exchanges continue happening.

Aya Contigo as a companion for rural sexual and reproductive health decisions

Since integrating Aya Contigo into his community work, Héctor has seen clear changes. Individuals who previously lacked reliable SRHR information now:

• make decisions with greater clarity,

• seek support before acting, and

• share what they have learned with others.

  
  

Even in places without connectivity, the impact spreads by word of mouth, carrying safe and accurate information across families and neighbors. Aya Contigo becomes a starting point for deeper conversation, reflection, and autonomy.

A story of transformation: informed choice in vulnerable conditions

One of the stories that stays with Héctor involves a woman with 12 children, pregnant with twins, living in extremely challenging conditions.

After accessing Aya Contigo, she learned about her options and connected with trusted care. Within two weeks, she was able to obtain a safe abortion with accompaniment, followed by a sterilization procedure through Servyr.

“Her conditions were deplorable,” Héctor recalls, “but the experience changed everything.”It is a story not only about medical access, but about dignity, relief, and the possibility of a different future.

Planting rights through Aya Contigo: empowerment, dignity, and community autonomy

Working with Aya Contigo has expanded Héctor’s understanding of health. For him, it now encompasses:

• empowerment,

• education,

• dignity, and

• community autonomy.

  
  

When a patient tells him, “Doctor, I can find everything I need there,” it reaffirms that access to information is a powerful tool for transformation.

His hope is to see:

• more people making informed decisions,

• community members becoming “multipliers,”

• and underserved places turning into vibrant centers of collective autonomy.

  
  

Each visit, each workshop, each personal story reflects the potential of Aya Contigo to shift realities. From a rural lens, this testimony is an invitation to continue building, sharing, and accompanying—because when knowledge arrives with empathy, everything can bloom.

👉 Explore Aya Contigo to access confidential, reliable SRHR information and support.

*By Roxana Vivas, Venezuela Country Lead at Vitala Global, based on an interview with Dr. Héctor Guerra, Community Health Promoter at Servyr.