Sara Taye Mengistu (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

My name is Sara Taye Mengistu and I am a Sexual and Reproductive Health advocate currently working on SRH projects involving adolescents, women, and marginalized groups. As a woman born and raised in a developing nation, I grew up witnessing the far reaching socioeconomic and development impact of SRH issues, especially in low and middle income countries. Upon completion of my Bachelor’s Degree, I was assigned to work under medical ward at a regional army referral hospital. During my two year clinical practice at army hospital I witnessed the burden of sexually transmitted infections especially HIV/AIDs on the young generation of developing nations. Being the medical ward officer gave me the opportunity to work closely with People living with HIV/AIDS and contribute my role in improving their quality of life through providing services including ART, counseling, regular follow up and treatment of opportunistic infections. As a public health professional, it has always been my dream to give back to the community that helped me reach where I am today. I chose to pursue a career in public health because the impact of public health interventions is large and at a community level. I am currently attending an online MSc on Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy & Programming at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, whilst working on SRH projects involving social and behavioral change on risky sexual behavior among adolescents in my country. I am attending the MSc program in order to further expand my skill in developing evidence-based programs to tackle the burden of SRH issues including HIV/AIDS, especially among key population groups such as women, adolescents, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities. I believe it is crucial to invest on areas of sexual and reproductive health to bring up a healthy nation where both men and women give an equal effort and contribute for a country’s growth. As I come near to the academic year and, I expect to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and practical skill which I will apply in my upcoming projects and bring a radical change in areas of HIV/AIDS and SRHR as a whole.