Sylvia Fernando Explained

Sylvia Fernando (1904–1983) was a Sri Lankan educator and family planning advocate. She co-founded the Family Planning Association of Ceylon in 1953.

Sylvia Fernando was born to an elite family in Colombo, Ceylon in 1904. Her mother was a social worker and her father was an obstetrician and gynaecologist.^[1]

Fernando was a lead member of the All Ceylon Women's Conference.

Fernando met Swedish women's rights activist Elise Ottesen-Jensen in 1948. In 1954 they found an ally in Swedish ambassador Alva Myrdal and lobbied their governments to try a family planning project.^[2] In May 1958, Sweden agreed to provide $80,000 to distribute contraceptives in two communities in Ceylon.^[3]

Further reading

• Huston, Perdita. "Sylvia Fernando (1904–1983)." Motherhood by Choice: Pioneers in Women's Health and Family Planning. NY: The Feminist Press, 1992. pp. 39–54
• Linder, Doris H. Crusader for Sex Education: Elise Ottesen-Jensen (1886–1973) in Scandinavia and on the International Scene. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1996.
• "Sylvia Fernando 1904–1983," in People [London]. Vol. 19, no. 1, 1992, p. 24.

Notes and References

1. Book: Haag, John. Commire. Anne. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. 2002. Yorkin Publications. Waterford, Connecticut. 0-7876-4074-3. https://web.archive.org/web/20181115012431/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2591303070.html. dead. 2018-11-15. Fernando, Sylvia (1904–1983). subscription .
2. Linder. Doris H.. Equality For Women: The Contribution of Scandinavian Women at the United Nations, 1946–66. Scandinavian Studies. Summer 2001. 73. 2. 202–203. 40920299.
3. Book: Connelly. Matthew. Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population. 2008. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Mass.. 978-0-674-02983-5. 185. registration. sylvia fernando..