Where Trust Blossoms: Medical Voices Advancing Rural Sexual and Reproductive Health

(Series 2 – Stories of Transformation from the Ground)

In some of the most vulnerable areas of Venezuela—such as the rural communities of Sucre State, where stigma still weighs heavily and the digital divide is tangible—health professionals are sowing trust, knowledge, and transformation.

This interview shares the story of Dr. Arantxa Bernasconi, Medical Coordinator at Fundación Servyr, whose leadership and partnership with Aya Contigo are reshaping access to rural sexual and reproductive health through care, empathy, and community empowerment.

Educating to Heal: Strengthening Rural Sexual and Reproductive Health Through Community Care

At Fundación Servyr, the work goes far beyond clinical care. From sterilization campaigns to workshops on family planning, gender-based violence, and nutrition, Dr. Bernasconi’s mission is both medical and social: to create safe, reflective spaces that nurture autonomy and self-knowledge.

“My role is to be a bridge—bringing Aya Contigo’s technology and information closer to everyone, especially those who need it most,” she explains.

Education flourishes when trust is cultivated, and facilitators become gardeners of shared knowledge. Together, Servyr and Aya Contigo have turned each community workshop into fertile ground for change, where science meets empathy and information becomes a tool for transformation.

Overcoming Barriers with Creativity and Resilience

While the progress achieved has been remarkable, the road toward equitable access is filled with challenges.

• Digital gaps: Limited internet access makes promoting a digital app an act of ingenuity.

• Ideological resistance: Deep-seated stigma and misinformation still hinder open conversations about sexual and reproductive rights.

• Logistical constraints: Reaching remote areas requires time, resources, and persistence.

• Need for local leaders: Expanding Aya’s reach and Servyr’s education efforts depends on training new community facilitators.

  
  

Each challenge, however, is met with creativity, patience, and conviction, proving that even in contexts of scarcity, care and collaboration can bridge divides.

Impacts Beyond the Medical Consultation: Transforming Rural Sexual and Reproductive Health Access

Arantxa describes Aya Contigo’s arrival as a turning point for both practitioners and communities:

• Broader access to accurate, friendly, and reliable SRHR information.

• Collective empowerment, as individuals feel confident to make decisions and share what they learn.

• Strengthened local health education and public health transformation.

• Creation of safe spaces to discuss family planning, contraception, and sexual rights.

Even after workshops end, participants continue reaching out—to seek information, share experiences, or simply to feel heard.

Dr. Arantxa Bernasconi, Medical Coordinator at Fundación Servyr, facilitates a sexual and reproductive health session with community members in Venezuela — using Aya Contigo to bridge medical knowledge, empathy, and digital innovation in rural care.

Educator, Facilitator, and Seed-Planter of Autonomy

Through Arantxa’s reflections, we see a profound evolution in how community-based health work is understood.

Sexual and reproductive health is not merely a medical issue—it’s a social transformation tool.

“Talking about abortion is talking about public health, about rights, and about the power to decide over one’s own body and life path,” she says.

Aya Contigo does more than deliver information—it creates dialogue, breaks stigma, and uncovers the “superpowers” that already exist within communities. In one activity, participants described their strengths: to work, to love, to listen, to mother—a reminder that knowledge empowers most when it is shared with care and intention.

Building the Future with Communities

The vision for the future of Venezuela’s rural SRHR ecosystem includes:

• Projects co-designed with local communities, rooted in lived realities.

• Improved digital connectivity and infrastructure for equitable access.

• Training community leaders to sustain change long term.

• Evaluating social impact to strengthen evidence-based interventions.

  
  

In every rural town, every school, and every healthcare outpost, there is a world of knowledge, dreams, and superpowers waiting to be recognized.

Together with Servyr and Aya Contigo, Vitala Global remains committed to educating, transforming, and cultivating autonomy—one community at a time.

By Roxana Vivas, Venezuela Country Lead, Vitala Global

Based on an interview with Dr. Arantxa Bernasconi, Medical Coordinator, Fundación Servyr.