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Marisa Viana-Aitchison
26 years old
Program Assistant, Latin America and Africa
International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC)
Brazil


"My time at IWHC has taught me that it's not about giving a voice to young people.  We have a voice. It's about listening to their whispers and encouraging them to stand up for their rights." 




Marisa joined IWHC in January 2006. Prior to coming to IWHC, she worked at the Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies in New York where she was responsible for researching and organizing conferences on public private partnership and state reform in Brazil. Before moving to New York, she worked as an Office Assistant at Amnesty International in Massachusetts; and interned with local environmental NGOs in Brazil. more>> 

>>Click here to read the full interview.

>>Available shortly in French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

IWHC: Tell us the story of your life. 

MVA: I grew up in Arara, a small village in the Amazon, and one of the poorest regions in Brazil.  I was born into a very big family; I have five brothers and three sisters. I lived in the village until I was nine or ten. There, school was non-existent, so through my parents' and other residents' initiative, an informal school was built. more>>


IWHC: What is your first memory as a young girl or young woman of a situation where you were personally aware of or effected by gender inequalities or a lack of rights for girls and women?

MVA: Growing up, I could do the same things as my sisters but never the same as my brothers.  My brothers were free to do things without my parent's supervision, but my sisters and I were given much less freedom because my parents felt they had to be more protective of us.  I remember my brothers being able to go to soccer matches, but I was told that I had to stay home and play with my girlfriends. more>>


IWHC: How did the experience of growing up in your village differ for girls and boys, both as young children and as teens? Did the activities/interests/and perceptions of the future differ for girls and boys?

MVA: At the village's school, where we had one teacher for 30 students, the teachers tended to prioritize the boys.  If a class was too large, the teachers would promote the older boys to the next grade level, and the younger girls would be left behind to advance the following year. Boys always had the first opportunity to advance.

IWHC: Growing up, did you ever learn or talk about sex and reproductive health and rights?

MVA: Not at my house. Maybe if my parents had known about reproductive health and rights, and family planning, they wouldn't have had nine children. Then they would probably have talked more about it! more>>


IWHC: How did you get involved in the struggle for women's and young people's rights?   

MVA: For as long as I can remember, I've been interested and tried to be involved in social and environmental justice. Being from the Amazon, I have always been concerned about river pollution and deforestation, and have had a deep interest in the struggles of indigenous people in Brazil. more>>


IWHC: What inspired you to start working at the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC)?

MVA: In college, I majored in International Affairs and Environmental Social Justice with a minor in Women's Studies. I read an IWHC publication for one of the Women's Studies courses I took. more>>


IWHC: How do you feel that IWHC has changed young people's lives, either in specific instances or in general?

MVA: IWHC has invested a lot in creating a space where young people can be empowered through capacity-building. I work for IWHC's Latin America and Africa programs. Through an IWHC program called "Advocacy in Practice," we provide advocacy trainings for young people and emerging leaders from these regions, as well as from countries in Asia. more>>


IWHC: What do you see as major challenges facing young people in Brazil today?  What about greatest opportunities?

MVA: Being part of an international organization that works in so many places, I have learned that many societies have the same underlying issues. Young people around the world face a lack of empowerment and a lack of, or inadequate, education.  In Brazil, the government has set up a decent educational system, but like in many societies, not everybody has access to it.  more>>

IWHC: What do you think are some of the most important issues for programmers and policymakers to address in order to promote and protect the health and rights of young people - especially young girls?

MVA: Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)—in particular, that young girls are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections; the necessity of sexuality education; and the need for an accessible and comprehensible legal system where women and young girls are taken seriously.


IWHC: Do you have positive examples from your professional or personal experience in which both dialogue and programming have achieved meaningful youth participation or leadership?  What was effective about these particular examples?

MVA: I was one of the 15 participants in the Advocacy in Practice training session that IWHC organized last year. Other participants included members from our partner organizations in Latin America and Asia. During this training, we put forth our expectations for the outcome of a UN conference and practiced our advocacy skills. more>>


IWHC: What are you proudest of?

MVA: Personally, I am proud of being able to speak for myself—to know that I have rights that cannot be infringed upon. To be recognized by my family, friends and colleagues as an individual committed to fighting for a better world.  Professionally, I am proud and humbled to have the opportunity to work with and meet so many amazing women from all over the world.

IWHC: What are your dreams for the future? Can you describe your vision of an ideal or better world?

MVA: I have too many dreams. A better world for me is a place where people don't go hungry when we produce enough food, where people don't die from preventable diseases and malnutrition. A better world would be a place where our environment is respected and appreciated. I dream of a world free of suffering, violence, rape, inequality, injustice, disease, and oppression. 


IWHC: How do you imagine your future?

MVA: I definitely envision myself continuing to work to promote women's health and rights. I want to devote more time to efforts to increasing access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and to promoting greater participation of people living with HIV/AIDS in decision-making processes. It's something that I have a personal commitment to, but also it's a need. more>>