Manasseh Gihana Wandera is the Executive Director of the Society for Family Health (SFH) Rwanda, a member of the Population Services International (PSI) Global Network. Moses Opobo found out what drives him…What do the names Manasseh, Gihana and Wandera mean?Thank you. Manasseh is actually a bible name which means that “God has made me to forget previous hardships”, so basically I am celebrating victory from God! Wandera means “If you nurture me, then you would have made the best investment (laughs). Gihana is a family name. I probably need to consult elders first!Do you believe in the adage that there is power in a name? Yes, very much so. You see my name being Manasseh, which means “God made me to forget past hardships”, to me it means the future is bright and I will be dignified. Abstinence Vs protected sex; which is better?The answer will depend on which target population you are talking about. For youths and adolescents I will propose that abstinence be prioritised. However, for sexually active youths and adults, especially those engaging in transactional sex, protected sex should of course be the priority to avoid sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and unplanned pregnancies.It really depends on who is having the sex. Personally I do not abstain from sex except when I am praying and fasting and neither do I have protected sex because I only play sex with my wife.However, I encourage the youth to abstain and if they fail to abstain, then they can have protected sex to avoid the risk of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.Tell us about the activities of SFH (Rwanda)SFH is a new, dynamic and promising Rwandan organization. It is the first national social marketing organization that promotes healthy living through behavior change and social marketing of health products and services among the Rwandan population.Our passion is empowering Rwandans to live healthier lives and our mission is to measurably improve the health of poor and vulnerable people in Rwanda. SFH is primarily focused in HIV/AIDS prevention and care, Malaria prevention and control, Family planning promotion; promotion of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and promotion of nutrition among children under five.Have you had an intimate chat with a sex worker? If so, what was your experience?Well yes, I have had a chat with former sex workers, I am not sure if the chat was intimate but it was certainly eye opening. I realized that some of them do not do it out of choice, but economic hardships. I realized that we can all do something to help, first of all by counseling but also helping with economic empowerment programs. Several literatures have confirmed the association between poverty and sex work. Therefore it is always important to both address the root cause of why women take to sex-work as well as immediate action like the use of protection to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases. At SFH we promote condom use among the sex workers and also provide temporary employment to some of them to address the issue of poverty.What do you find empowering about your line of work?The most empowering aspect about my work is the ability to influence behavior change especially among the youth. The fact that I can contribute to helping a young person to make a decision to abstain from pre marital sex or at least use a condom to avoid getting infected with HIV, or unplanned pregnancies is so satisfying to me.What should the world know about Rwanda?Wow! It is important to know that Rwanda is a nation of great possibilities and open opportunities, a nation of resilient people under a resilient leadership.What has been a turning point in your life?I have heard many turning points in my life but the most critical one is my encounter with Jesus Christ! My faith in God and in Jesus has made me a complete new person with a positive mind set about everything. Probably that is why I see possibilities and opportunities everywhere in life! The ethics and tenets of my faith helped me to avoid risky behavior and probably the risk of contracting an STD. It also made it easy for me to imbibe corporate governance principles of integrity, accountability and transparency. More importantly, it helps me to empathize with the poor, vulnerable and most at risk populations that SFH is currently working with.
