The Sexual Health Education (SHE) Project

The SHE Project (Sexual Health Education Project) was a cross-country, community-based participatory action research initiative, conducted in 2024 in the rural communities of Cambodia and Indonesia. The project aimed to understand the lived experiences of adolescent girls aged 10 to 18 years old regarding their sexual and reproductive health (SRH), explore the cultural, institutional, and familial factors influencing their knowledge and practices, and develop locally grounded recommendations for improving SRH education and access to resources.

ActSEA conducted interviews with 20 adolescent girls as well as stakeholders in Nagekeo Regency, Indonesia. The data was shared with the team in China who analyzed the data and wrote the report. ActSEA also disseminated findings with groups of students and stakeolders. .

Findings

The findings highlighted the need for more space for open discussions about SRH among youth, as limited access to information and societal taboos have created significant barriers to youth engagement and awareness.

Next Steps

ActSEA intends to run awareness-raising sessions at schools with local health educators.

Related Projects

Ae-Fa (Nagekeo, Indonesia)
WASH in Schools (Nagekeo, Indonesia)

Acknowledgements

The research was conducted as part of a funded Equity Initiative (EI) Fellowship project between Rosa (an ActSEA staff who is also an EI Fellow) and two fellows from Cambodia and China respectively.