August 15th, 2011
By Rati Bishnoi, Special Projects Intern at Women Deliver
Rukia Seif holds an unusual place in her community.
In addition, to being a mother of three, Seif is a population, health, and environment (PHE) peer educator in her Tanzanian village on the outskirts of Saadani National Park.
In the role, Seif meets and talks to people in her village daily about simple solutions for improving their health and protecting the natural resources they depend upon. Two of these solutions include promoting fuel-efficient cooking stoves and family planning.
She tells her neighbors how mud stoves use less fuel than earlier models and help conserve forests for the future. Even though it is illegal, villagers cut wood for fuel to be used in more energy-reliant stoves. As a result, the neighboring forests are being depleted, smoke from stoves is worsening air quality, and unsustainable pressure is being placed on the very resources that provide Seif and her community food and livelihood.
Seif also talks to villages about modern contraceptive methods, focusing particularly on women who have closely-spaced pregnancies. Large family sizes which are caused by a high unmet need for family planning not only endanger the overall health of the family and mothers but also exacerbate the pressure on natural resources.
Rukia Seif holds an unusual place in her community.
In addition, to being a mother of three, Seif is a population, health, and environment (PHE) peer educator in her Tanzanian village on the outskirts of Saadani National Park.
In the role, Seif meets and talks to people in her village daily about simple solutions for improving their health and protecting the natural resources they depend upon. Two of these solutions include promoting fuel-efficient cooking stoves and family planning.
She tells her neighbors how mud stoves use less fuel than earlier models and help conserve forests for the future. Even though it is illegal, villagers cut wood for fuel to be used in more energy-reliant stoves. As a result, the neighboring forests are being depleted, smoke from stoves is worsening air quality, and unsustainable pressure is being placed on the very resources that provide Seif and her community food and livelihood.
Seif also talks to villages about modern contraceptive methods, focusing particularly on women who have closely-spaced pregnancies. Large family sizes which are caused by a high unmet need for family planning not only endanger the overall health of the family and mothers but also exacerbate the pressure on natural resources.
