Vagina Matters Launches in Romania and Moldova
A powerful new resource is now available to teens and educators across Romania and Moldova: Vagina Matters, our illustrated and inclusive guide to sexual education, has just been launched in both countries under the title V de la Vulvă.
Created by the global creative studio for social impact Fine Acts, the book aims to fill a critical gap in accessible, rights-based sexual education for adolescents. Designed for girls and young people aged 12 to 14 – but relevant for anyone curious about their bodies – the book offers over 250 pages of practical, science-based information on topics often considered taboo: from puberty and menstruation to consent, contraception, and sexual health.
The Romanian edition, V de la Vulvă, has been published and distributed in partnership with Centrul FILIA and Black Button Books, and is available to read for free online at vaginamatters.org/romanian.
“We created Vagina Matters to help young people better understand their bodies and their rights,” says co-author Svetla Baeva. “We hope to spark open, stigma-free conversations about sexual health in Romania and Moldova – conversations that are long overdue.”
„It is essential to know our bodies, to have spaces in which to talk about our health and sexuality. It is essential that young people have access to sex education – only then will they be able to recognize the potential for abuse, know how to take care of their sexual and reproductive health, and be able to enjoy their hard-earned rights. This initiative raises an alarm for the need for comprehensive sex education, but it also fills some of the information that the state should be providing to young people,” Andrada Cilibiu, sexual and reproductive rights expert, FILIA Center.
Addressing a Persistent Gap
In both Romania and Moldova, access to comprehensive sexual education remains limited. In Romania, such programs have never been made mandatory at a universal level in schools, while in Moldova, existing curricula often fail to reflect the full spectrum of young people's realities and needs. As a result, many teens grow up without the accurate, age-appropriate information they need to understand their bodies, relationships, and rights.
Research by the World Health Organization consistently shows that comprehensive sex education helps young people delay sexual activity, practice safer sex, and better report sexual abuse. Yet in both countries, public policy continues to be shaped by conservative norms, often sidelining the rights and needs of girls and LGBTQ+ youth.
Vagina Matters offers a fresh alternative – its content is grounded in international best practices on comprehensive sexuality education, and was developed in consultation with sexual health experts, educators, and activists.
A Tool for Teens, Parents, and Teachers
More than just a book, Vagina Matters is also a conversation starter – for teens, parents, and educators alike. With clear, accessible language and relatable illustrations, it creates a safe space to talk about topics that are too often surrounded by silence or shame.
The book is available both online at vaginamatters.org/romanian, and in select libraries and youth spaces in Romania and Moldova.
Vagina Matters is an open book, created with the idea to make it available for publishing in different languages and contexts. So far, it has been published in Bulgarian, English, French, and Romanian. Organizations, educators, and individuals from around the world interested in hosting readings, discussions, or further translating Vagina Matters are encouraged to get in touch with the creators and publishers at vm@fineacts.co. Find out more ways to get involved here.