Meet RFSU

RFSU has a hand full Programme Managers and a couple of Programme Assistants, working with international programmes on a daily basis. Meet some of them here.

"Male involvement is truly inportant"

Olov Berggren first came in contact with RFSU in 1995 when working as a consultant with evaluations and follow ups. After becoming more and more involved in RFSU’s work he is today working full time as Programme Manager. Olov works mainly with international programmes in South Asia, East Africa and Russia.

Is there an area which you think is extra interesting?

That would be male involvement. I truly believe that it is important to increase the level of knowledge and understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights, SRHR, among men. In many countries men are, due to cultural reasons, those who make decisions within a family or community. Therefore it is important to reach out to men and initiate a dialogue regarding gender and equality. Increasing knowledge within SRHR among women only is not enough. The whole community should be involved if SRHR is to become a natural part of a community. Our East African programme, Young Men as Equal Partners (YMEP), is all about male involvement. But male involvement is also an important element in our other programmes.

Say something short about how you view RFSU’s future

I believe that the need for knowledge regarding SRHR will increase, and that RFSU has an important part in this work. Our knowledge of, and expertise in, sexuality is our strength. As an organization working with SRHR on the global arena we are unique, as most organizations focus on health whereas we focus on sexuality.

Also, RFSU is becoming more and more skilled in running international programmes. Through our work we have gained good understanding of programme planning, implementation, evaluations and the importance of following up results. This is, in my opinion, a key to RFSU’s future international work.

"The opposition in Russia makes my work challenging"

Anastasia Lundqvist has worked as Programme Officer for over two and a half years. During this time she has mainly worked with RFSU’s programmes in North-western Russia and Kaliningrad. Both programmes focus on HIV prevention among adolescents but they also deal with SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) in general.

What do you find most interesting when it comes to working on an international level?

Working internationally raises many different challenges, most of them often hard to foresee. In Sweden questions regarding SRHR are not controversial, there is hardly any opposition regarding sexual rights for young people. This is not the case in many other countries, such as Russia, where perspectives and opinions differ. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but one must keep that in mind in order to be able to work together. In our programmes in Russia we have, with our collaborating organisations, found a common base on which we can work towards our goal – sexual health and rights for adolescents.

I also find it interesting to work in countries where there is an opposition – it is a real challenge. In Russia, for example, there are strong conservative forces that are running a large-scale ideological campaign by appealing to Russian spirituality and moral values. On the other hand the rapid social and economic changes in contemporary Russia provide great opportunities to put issues regarding SRHR on the political and public agenda in general and to reduce the spread of HIV specifically.  

Are there changes in the way RFSU works today compared to when you first started working here?

RFSU has been undertaking programmes in North-western Russia since 1997. Early on the coordination was conducted from the RFPA (Russian Family Planning Association) head quarter in Moscow. Today we coordinate the work with six local RFPA branches from RFSU’s head quarters in Stockholm. This change enables our collaborating organisations to work more independently. Furthermore the directives from Sida (the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation) imply local ownership.

I also find that RFSU is more sensitive in regard to our collaborating organisations and the local context. Our goal is the same, but we have learned that there are different ways on how to achieve. A straight line is not always the closest way from point A to point B.

"Skills and perspectives create opportunities and health"

Jonas Tillberg has worked as Programme Manager at RFSU since 2004. Jonas works mainly with  programmes in India, Russia and China and is also involved in programmes regarding MSM (men who have sex with men).

Why is RFSU unique?

There are a few things that make RFSU single out from many other organisations working internationally with SRHR. First, RFSU has a massive experience in the field. The organization was founded in 1933 and the accumulated understanding for the issues and how to work for them over a long time is impressing. Secondly, we focus more on sexuality and sexual rights than many other organisations working internationally on SRHR. There is an abundance of organisations that can do a good job on reproductive health; fewer are skilled in working with the more delicate areas of sexual rights and sexual health. This emphasis in RFSU is a strength and makes our profile unique. Another factor is our own youth clinic. Having run a clinic for decades that provides services including diagnosis, counselling and therapy to adolescents on a daily basis gives us first-hand experience that we make use of our programmes. Lastly, in comparison to other NGOs, RFSU is relatively small. That means that we have a tight cooperation between the various departments in our organisation – clinic, advocacy, implementation and education. This truly makes us a very dynamic and flexible organisation.

What is it that drives you to work on an international level?

I think it is that I want to be part of the process of working for a more just world.  Where more people have more possibilities to live good lives – and to choose how they want to live their lives. Through the knowledge, methods and resources we now have, this is possible. I have worked for a long time with issues around sexuality, and I am proud that skills and perspectives that RFSU has can be used for creating more opportunities and better health for people. It is all about giving people real possibilities to choose. In the end, providing information and empowering people to claim rights give better lives and contributes to a more just world. Before joining RFSU I worked for almost ten years for sexual health and rights in Sweden. The challenges – and impacts – of working on an international level are greater than working in Sweden. This in itself is rewarding. And for every new project I am part of implementing, I see a thousand new things I would like to do!

"It is all a matter of perspective"

Maria Hellvig has worked as Programme Manager at RFSU for ten years. The last years Maria has worked mainly with RFSU's programmes in India but lately she has started to work more with training programmes in Sweden and on international level.

What is important for RFSU to have in mind when working internationally?

Without much hesitation I would say that "to listen" is one of the most important things. To listen to those we meet in the different organizations and other meeting places. To try to understand their perspective and work from there. It does not matter how convinced I am when it comes to a specific issue, my work often means adjusting my own perspective. I can not tell people what to think. One example is masturbation. This is an important issue within humain sexuality, and most people agree upon that it is something that exists. But often people tell me that they can not talk about masturbation due to traditions or taboos. And I can not force them. But by using various kinds of value exercises, where they can learn without having to expose themselves, I am able to give them a tool that they can use when talking about masturbation. Later they can use the same methods when working with young people.

Is there an area within SRHR that you personally have taken an extra interest in?

That would be rights. A person’s right to talk about and express sexuality, and his/her right to talk about his/her body. Lately I have taken an extra interest in gender equality and women’s rights. Here I find interesting different perspectives. For example, when one compares women’s situation in India to women’s situation in Sweden it is easy to see that in Sweden gender equality has come a long way. But, if one looks closely at the hierarchical structures in both societies, one will find that they are the same. It is all a matter of perspective.