Sara Stratton, Senior Technical Advisor, Family Planning, Palladium
USA
I worked in an area of Central Florida that is really rural and reminded me a little bit of Africa in terms of landscape and temperature. And the housing is out of different [material], but it was similar [to Africa]. Some people were living in trailers with no water and not much sanitation. And there were really young moms. So that sort of audience left an impression on me.

I have two girls and I want them to have access to information and contraceptives so they can make decisions about their future. My mom also worked in family planning with the health department here in Durham County. My sister and I, [we] were able to do things because we had access to information and contraceptives. But these moms I would see in these trailers, they didn’t know about that and how that can be part of just taking care of yourself and thinking about what that means for your future.

[In Florida], we had a teen pregnancy prevention coalition, and I was able to get funding for it because so many young women were getting pregnant and having kids, but the adults in the community didn’t really want to believe that.
Photographer: Sarah V. Harlan
Interviewer: Sarah V. Harlan

 Source:  Family Planning Voices