Through projects like a rap battle about gender-based violence, a sexual education game app, a short story contest and a podcast, Ipas Bolivia has been using creative storytelling and inventive methods of engagement to raise awareness of sexual and reproductive health and rights since 1998.
Recently, Ipas Bolivia launched “Historias de Agua Clara” (The Stories of Agua Clara) — an audionovela set in the fictitious town of Agua Clara. This compelling story series educates the audience and confronts stigma as characters deal with physical, psychological and sexual violence, machismo, unplanned pregnancies, and other issues.
“This combination of audionovela format and popular streaming platform is a great way to reach our audience,” says Wara Rojas Aliaga, communications associate for Ipas Bolivia. “These stories allow us to communicate complicated information in a friendly and entertaining way, as well as address stigma that still exists in Bolivian society around topics such as unplanned pregnancies, teenage pregnancies and sexual violence.”
With 24 chapters planned, episodes are in Spanish and released every week on the Ipas Bolivia Youtube channel and Ipas Bolivia Facebook page. The first several broadcasted episodes have already reached 4,500 people.