JOICFP NEWS NO. 249 MARCH 1995
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- JOICFP NEWS NO. 249 MARCH 1995
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NO. 249 March 1995
ISSN 0911-0755
vAEALTo
JOICFP NEWS
Action for Empowerment of Women
Regional Technical Committee
Meeting focuses on action plans
for community-based integrated
FP/MCH projects in Asia
Effective strategies for empowering women
as a means to raise family planning (FP)
eptance and improve maternal and child
—ulth (MCH) were the main focus of the 3rd
Regional Technical Committee Meeting for the
Sustainable Community-based FP/MCH Project
with Special Focus on Women. The meeting,
held in Tokyo from January 23 - 28, brought
together representatives of the four countries of
Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal and the Philippines,
which are implementing the UNFPA-supported
regional project, with representatives of China
and Vietnam, where the Integrated Project is
being implemented.
In total, 18 participants from six countries
attended the meeting which focused on
reviewing progress and presenting action plans
for 1995. Representatives of IPPF, Japan
Family Planning Association (JFPA) and
JOICFP also joined the event.
During the meeting, participants discussed
tegies, work plans, operation, management,
monitoring and evaluation schemes of the
project for 1995 for each country and future
perspectives after the first phase (1992 - 1995).
The visitors were also introduced to the
experiences of Japan in the field of FP/MCH
and learned firsthand about the role that
midwives played in FP/MCH promotion during
a field trip to Gifu Prefecture.
Among the highlights of the meeting were
two special sessions. The first, presented by
Masafumi Kuroki, director, Research and
Programming Division, Economic Cooperation
Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan,
focused on the Global Issues Initiative (GII) on
Population and AIDS. The second, presented
by Dr. Indira Kapoor, regional director, South
Asia Region, IPPF, concerned empowerment of
women and reproductive health issues.
In the country presentations, participants
were introduced to progress made in
Bangladesh under
the project, which
includes the
3rd Regional Technical Committee Meeting
components of FP/
MCH, parasite
control, literacy,
skill development
training and income
generation. In
1995, efforts will be
made to strengthen
intensive health
care to safeguard
women’s health;
strengthen project
clinics and the
laboratory;
Participants of the Regional Technical Committee Meeting in Tokyo.
strengthen IEC
activities; reactivate
consciousness raising
on women’s rights; provide training for
information/services and promoting sustainable
community leaders, committee members and
community-based FP/MCH services. In 1995,
field personnel; and organize rallies on March 8 the project will focus on various activities
including developing a management of
to express solidarity with women of the world.
In discussions on the Laos project, it was
information system; completing clinic
noted that efforts should be made to strengthen
improvements and maintenance of
the steering committee; develop a simple IEC
FP/MCH equipment; training of health
material for women volunteers; and improve the personnel and volunteers; and expansion into
monitoring and supervision for all levels. The
other municipalities.
need to create awareness of the concept of
The Integrated Project (IP) in China was
integrated health care was also noted as
initiated in 1984 and currently covers 16
important, while training on IUD insertion for
provinces. The action plan for 1995 will focus
MCH staff was emphasized.
on training promoters to seek project selfAimed at improving the quality of family
reliance; training volunteers of local FPAs and
health, particularly community women through
medical personnel; developing IEC materials;
conducting an evaluation survey for the fourth
the provision of FP/MCH services, the project
in Nepal is geared to achieving self-reliance
cycle project; and preparing for the fifth cycle
through fee-charging for services and the
of the project.
development of community trust funds. In
The IP in Vietnam, which was launched in
1995, efforts will be made to equip the
1988, is jointly implemented by the Ministry of
Panchkhal Field Office with FP/MCH
Health, UNFPA, UNICEF and JOICFP and now
equipment; conduct intense literacy programs;
covers 70 communes. In 1995, the project will
and continue provision of FP/MCH services by
focus on training midwives and volunteers;
trained women serving as volunteers.
income-generation; exchange of information
The project in the Philippines, meanwhile,
and experience; supply of minimum FP/MCH
is geared to contributing to the government’s
equipment and essential drugs; monitoring;
goal of providing universal access to FP
study tours; and evaluation.
Asia Region
The Midwife Agent of Change
at the Grassroots
Challenges for Community-based
FP/MCH Projects in Asia
The regional technical committee meeting
served as an ideal venue for representatives to
The midwife played an effective role in
compare progress and outline challenges for the
raising the level of health of mothers and
projects in their countries. Below is an outline
children in Japan in the postwar years by
of points
providing FP/MCH services in addition to
raised
regular delivery services. The dramatic impact
during the
that midwives had on the level of MCH in
discussions.
Japan was brought home to participants of the
Kazi
Regional Technical Committee Meeting during
Anisur
a field trip to Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture.
Rahman,
The participants learned firsthand about the
honorary
role of the midwife in the FP program from
secretary
Sachiko Sakurai, director, Sakurai Nursing
general,
Center. A midwife, Sakurai worked in the
Family
postwar years as part of the nationwide efforts
Planning
Kazi Anisur Rahman
of midwives to improve the quality of women’s
Association
lives by providing integrated FP/MCH services.
of Bangladesh,
From her midwifery clinic set up in 1959,
noted that the project is contributing to the
Sakurai focused on integrating delivery services spread of a “silent revolution” of empowerment
among the women of Bangladesh. The
project, with strategic support from
eLS___ s]
men, is bringing empowerment to rural
women, one of the key strategies for
boosting FP acceptance. The project is
now spreading from project sites to
surrounding areas.
Dr. Phonethep Pholsena, director,
Institute of Mother and Child Health,
Ministry of Health, Laos, commented
—•_ j
that the chief beneficiaries of the project
are mothers and children. The project is
aimed at reducing maternal and infant
mortality through the provision of
comprehensive services including MCH
Sachiko Sakurai (left) demonstrates the position of
care and birth spacing. Community
the female reproductive organs with a scale model.
awareness and participation in MCH/
birth spacing activities are crucial to the success
of the project.
with quality FP/MCH follow-up services.
Sakurai and other midwives sought to upgrade
Dr.
I
the quality of services through the expansion of
Rebecca B.
Infantado,
safe delivery at the national level.
The veteran midwife also worked with the
officer in
charge,
Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA) as
project
part of a mobile team to provide FP guidance to
A. zi
director,
people of the community.
Family
Participants welcomed the introduction to
Planning
V
fl
Japan’s experience of building on the close ties
I
I
rF
a
Service,
and trust that midwives have developed within
Department
the community to promote quality FP/MCH
of Health, the
services. The team commented that it was an
Philippines,
effective strategy that can be applied in
Phonethep Pholsena
explained
developing countries.
■ ■
■ • j
2
that women’s groups in villages are
contributing to
the project by
organizing such
activities as
mothers’
classes,
nutrition classes
and film
shows. The
project has had
success in
mobilizing the
community
Rebecca B. Infanti
since villagers
can recognize the
obvious benefits of activities, she said.
Dr. Yan Renying, director, MCH Center,
and director emeritus, No. 1 Hospital Affiliated
to Beijing Medical University, noted that
Japan’s
experiences
provide many
strategies for
developing FP/
MCH activities.
Yan added that
China has
expertise and
experiences
which it is
willing to share
with other
Yan Renying
countries.
In a special
session, Dr. Indira
Kapoor, regional director, South Asia Region,
IPPF, emphasized the need to empower women
in economic, social and health aspects of life.
If given the
opportunity to
grow, she said,
women can play
an equal role in
the family and
Mr Kunii flHfl
society, and at
the national
level. Women
must be given
full rights to
their bodies and
Indira Kapoor
reproductive
behavior.
J
Jani
JOICFP NEWS, March 1995
Action on FP & AIDS in Senegal
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
recently entrusted JOICFP to conduct a
situation analysis survey in Senegal, designated
as one of 12 priority countries for official
development assistance (ODA) under the
Global Issues Initiative (GII) on Population and
AIDS. JOICFP Program Officer Kiyoko
Ikegami was dispatched to Senegal from
January 21 - February 5 to gain an
understanding of the present situation of
population and HIV/AIDS and to make
recommendations for assistance from the
Japanese government. For effectiveness,
JOICFP gained the collaboration and technical
advice of the Country Support Team (CST) of
UNFPA in Senegal.
Senegal adopted a National Population
Policy in 1988, which has served to guide the
country’s population programs. The National
Population Council in the Ministry of Finance,
Economy and Planning is the coordinating
agency of policy and programs. Family
planning programs, however, are implemented
by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
The prevalence rate of modern contra
ceptives in Senegal is generally low. In urban
areas, the rate is 11%, while in rural areas it is
as low as 1%, indicating a huge discrepancy.
According to Marieme Diop, coordinator,
National Family Planning Program, making
services available in rural areas and providing
training for health personnel are essential if the
FP program is to be effectively promoted in an
integrated manner with MCH. To reach rural
populations, more health facilities that offer FP
services need to be established. The number of
health staff trained to provide FP needs to be
increased, while the supply of contraceptives to
facilities should be strengthened. Supervision
and referral systems are two other areas to be
strengthened, while technical equipment for the
provision of maternal and child health (MCH)
care and FP is needed.
The first HIV/AIDS case was reported in
Senegal in 1986. At present, the
majority (90%) of AIDS cases in
Senegal are the result of sexual
transmission. A further 5% are from
blood transmission, 2% through prenatal
JOICFP NEWS, March 1995
transmission and 3% unknown. In view of
these figures, preventing sexual transmission of
the disease is a priority. The number of HIV/
AIDS cases was estimated at 57,500 in 1993.
This figure is expected to reach over 100,000 in
1998, based on WHO’s GPA module.
Senegal is one of the most active countries
in Africa in tackling HIV/AIDS. The National
STD Control Committee, established in 1979,
initially handled AIDS-related activities until
the National AIDS Control Committee was
created in 1986.
The present national AIDS control program
prioritizes a number of areas to prevent AIDS
including IEC campaigns for commercial sex
workers, the public and students. Other priority
areas are HIV/AIDS surveillance; blood
product safety; condom use; and clinical care
and counseling for AIDS patients.
NgOs Play Their Part
• Diallo (left) with Dackam-Ngatchou
•
Two regional advisers of the Country
• Support Team (CST) in Dakhar recently
collaborated with JOICFP on a situation
• analysis survey in Senegal for the Japanese
• government. The advisers, Dr. Mamadou P
• Diallo, MCH/FP-training, and Dr. R. Dackam• Ngatchou, analysis and research, are part of the
• team of technical experts with practical
• experience who make up the CST for West and
• Central Africa. The CST takes an integrated
• approach to problem solving, by calling on
• several disciplines in the study and resolution
• of population issues. The team provides high• quality technical support within the mandates
• of the UN system. It helps to solve country
• problems while training local staff, providing
• consultative services, technical information and
• know-how. The CST promotes and maintains a
• program approach in developing and managing
• population programs at the national level. Its
• role is to develop national capacity building.
1
From left, S. Coulibaly, UNFPA country
director, and M. A. Savane, director, Africa
Division, UNFPA, at a donors’ meeting.
•
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Non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) are playing their part in
Senegal to promote FP and prevent
HIV/AIDS. Two prominent NGOs are
the Senegalese Association for Family
Welfare (ASBEF) and Environmental
Development Action in the Third
World (ENDA).
Established in 1975, ASBEF is the
country’s leading organization active in
the field of FP and STD control and
runs a youth education program
focused on prevention of early
pregnancy and AIDS.
ASBEF also operates five clinics
providing FP services to a very keen
client base. According to ASBEF staff,
however, the real demand is in the rural
areas where religious beliefs and
traditions such as polygamy make large
families the norm and FP promotion
difficult. To overcome resistance,
3
ASBEF has been
gaining the
cooperation of village
chiefs through
educational activities
OneofASBEF's
to explain the role that
IEC calendars.
FP plays in improving
quality of life. In the
city, ASBEF has been working closely with
religious leaders who include FP messages in
their religious services.
Meanwhile, ENDA has emerged as an
active NGO force in AIDS-related activities in
Senegal. Though not originally an AIDSprevention NGO, ENDA has created innovative
approaches to tackle the issue such as its
educational “HIV Alliance” micro-project.
Through talks and IEC campaigns at the
community level, ENDA seeks to motivate
people under the alliance. The ultimate aim of
involving the community people in activities is
to achieve sustainable development.
Voices
Giving Women the Tools to
Make a Difference
Peggy Curlin, president, Centerfor
Development and Population Activities
(CEDPA), spoke with JOICFP NEWS on
February 6. Below is an outline of the
interview.
This year is the 20th anniversary of
CEDPA. The organization was founded by
three people including Kaval Gulhati who
became president. I joined two years later and
helped develop the women’s program.
CEDPA’s mission is to empower women to be
full partners in development. It is mission that
has never varied.
In 1974, there was a huge outbreak of
smallpox in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I was asked to
form a team of Bengali women to vaccinate
women. The government teams of men could
not enter households. Therefore, women and
children were not vaccinated and mortality rates
were very high. In almost every household we
visited to provide vaccinations women asked
about family planning (FP). The one FP clinic
was 12 miles away and for women who never
left their homes, access to any means to control
their fertility was impossible.
So we decided to start organizing to bring
Unmet MCH Needs in Myanmar
Bal Gopal, country director, Thailand,
Myanmar and Laos, UNFPA, spoke with
JOICFP NEWS on February 10. Below are
highlights of the interview.
The government of Myanmar is not so
concerned about reducing the size of the
population. The most important issue for them
is mother and child health - how to reduce the
maternal and infant mortality rates and improve
the quality of life for families.
The government is very open to assistance
and the main
interest in
accepting any
support for the
birth-spacing
program is to
improve the
health of
mothers and
children.
Bal Gopal
UNFPA is also
aiming to
improve the
quality of life by providing services for mother
and child health with UNICEF and UNDP.
We have several programs in the field of
birth spacing covering about 20 townships at
present. The government has submitted a
request for projects in another 52 townships
with UNFPA assistance of almost US$3.4
million for three years.
\
One of the needs at present is for baseline
information which is lacking in Myanmar. We
are providing some assistance for a pilot
knowledge, attitude and practice survey on
family planning (FP). UNFPA has also
provided the Ministry of Health with support to
obtain basic information on the maternal
mortality rate, which is estimated at about 460
per 100,000.
The reason for this extremely high rate is
that there are unmet needs for contraception.
Induced abortion is widely spread. Mothers are
dying of complications of abortions, pregnancy
and delivery. It is tragic that they do not have
the means to decide when they would like to
have their next child and how many children
they should have. Women in Myanmar do not
have options of choice, rights and means.
The third area that donors are concerned
about in Myanmar is HIV/AIDS. UNFPA is
joining with WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP to see
if we can put our inputs together in some of the
townships with birth-spacing projects. UNFPA
also has an innovative project in the
Department of Labor in which we are trying to
develop a set of “human resource development
indicators.”
There is a very strong feeling in the UN
family that we must provide assistance to help
improve the health of mothers and children
through birth spacing and maternal and child
health services.
■5-
4
FP to the
doorstep. We
had to teach
ourselves FP,
management,
logistics and
record-keeping.
We made a
very successful
Peggy Curlin
start and today
Concerned
Women is one of
the largest non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) promoting FP in Bangladesh.
When I returned to the U.S. and spoke with
Kaval, we decided that it would be great to have
training courses for women that would shortcircuit the painful process of learning to
manage women-to-women development
programs. In 1978, we held the first womenmanagement training course. This May we will
conduct our 29th.
The rationale of encouraging women’s
participation at the management and policymaking level has been proven over the 20 years
to be the magic ingredient. So much of health
is aimed at women that their viewpoint can be
used to design more sensitive and appropriate
programs. In this way women can participate
in the social, economic and even political life of
communities and benefit not only their families
but the nation as a whole.
CEDPA does not focus so much on
discrimination but on the contribution that
women can make - focusing on the positive
side, on what women have, not what they do
not have.
I think that in 20 years, the world of women
has changed dramatically. Donors and
governments are becoming more sensitive to
women’s issues. But the real credit must go to
the women themselves in seeing the
opportunities. They have taken risks, adopted
modern technologies and gained a great sense
of self-confidence.
Far from being static, working with women
is one of the most dynamic things a person can
do. It is working with a group of entrepreneurs
who seek out opportunities, not waiting for
opportunities to come to them. For me it has
been a privilege. CEDPA’s contribution has
been to enhance skills that women already had
and to bring them together into a network. The
power in that network comes from mutually
shared goals and commitment of women. I
think where that can go in the next 20 years is
tremendously exciting, but is just the beginning
of a real sea change.
JOICFPNEWS, March 1995
New JOICFP Film
Opening Doors for Girls with Education
animated the film. “If a girl can read, write and
count, she has a platform for economic selfsufficiency,” he adds. “A daughter at home,
dependent on parents is considered a
tremendous burden. So if she is educated and
can earn a living, she can get decision-making
power. This will stop early marriage.”
Basu notes that in the states of India such
as Kerala and West Bengal where there is high
literacy among women, the practice of early
marriage is almost non
existent. This is also true for
the places in other states
where literacy is high, he adds.
In traditional families,
attention is focused on the son
and young women do not have
the power to decide their lives.
Typically, it is the father who
decides the fate of the
daughter. “So the way to stop
the practice of early marriage
..
is to convince the parents that
it is not beneficial for the
daughter,” Basu says.
“They’ll immediately answer
Basu (left) discusses production with a member of the
that they do not want to marry
Japanese production team in Tokyo.
their daughter young, but will
ask what she is going to do.”
to marry young, move out of her parent’s home
Basu says that people have to know that there
and begin a family of her own. As a woman in
are options, that if the daughter goes to school
she can earn money and make decisions.
a rural village, Rakhee does not have many
The film is ultimately aimed at changing
options in her life and looks set to follow in the
societal attitudes toward girl children. It is
footsteps of her friends who have begun
geared to inspiring thought and discussion
^milies as
among the audience rather than taking a moral
olescents.
stand. “If you tell people not to do
Fortunately, Rakhee
meets an older
something, you may cause the opposite
woman who
action,” says Basu. “So first you must gain
teachers her how to
the confidence of the people and then tell
them your message to get them thinking.”
read and write.
Rakhee, the central character, is
New opportunities
open up that put
disillusioned by what is happening to her
Rakhee on the road
friends who become young brides. Her
to independence.
mother is sympathetic but does not know
“One of the
what to do because the decision-making
power of the family lies with the father.
main reasons why
girls are made to
Mausee, a middle-aged widow, comes to the
marry young by
rescue and guides Rakhee towards school
their parents in
where she begins to study. As a young
India is because
woman, Mausee had learned the benefit of
Mausee
they have no
education through her husband who taught
education and
her to read, write and count.
cannot be financially independent,” says
The film is part of a series of films on
Suddhasattwa Basu, the acclaimed artist who
women’s development jointly produced for
Rakhee wanted to study, and have an
income too,
But if she married so young,
how would her dreams come true?
The verse is from the theme song of
JOICFP’s new animated film entitled Rakhee
and Mausee. A beautifully animated film,
Rakhee and Mausee is about a friendship that
changes the life of 14-year-old Rakhee. Born
into a rural family, Rakhee is bound by tradition
the Asian region by
the Family Planning
Association of India
and JOICFP and
distributed through
Sakura Motion
Picture Co., Ltd.
The story for the
film was created by Rani Day Burra, an Indian
scenario writer who injected a woman’s point
of view into the plot. Her sensitive characters
and story were brought to life by the creative
hand of Basu. The
animator is wellknown for his striking
animated television
series and
advertisements, and
for designs and
illustrations for a
leading children’s
magazine. The film
was produced with the
assistance of Japanese
technicians.
Rakhee and
Mausee follows the
Rakhee
two previous films in
the series, Twin Lotus
and My Way. As such, it is designed to be used
as an educational aid to stimulate discussion on
women’s health and status. The film does not
have dialogue but is available in two versions,
one with songs in English and another with
Hindi songs. The 14-minute film is available
on 16mm or VHS (PAL/NTSC/SECAM).
\ -s
A f I
JM M
amd
STATION
JOICFP NEWS, March 1995
5
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Vietnam
Towards Improved MCH/FP Services
Dr. Tran Thi Trung Chien, deputy minister
of health, and director, MCH-FT Training
Projects, spoke with JOICFP NEWS on January
20 about the challenges facing Vietnam in the
maternal and child health and family planning
(MCH/FP) field. Below is an interview outline.
The population of Vietnam is over 70
million and is increasing at an average of 1.5
million annually since the 1989 census. The
crude birth rate of 30.4%o is among the highest
in the region, while the natural increase rate is
2.2%. The population density is double that of
China with 210 people to one square kilometer.
Our health budget has been gradually
increasing but cannot meet the needs and
reproductive health cannot be improved to a
satisfactory level. There are several urgent
problems facing MCH care: anemia affects 6070% of pregnant women; over 14% of babies
are born with low birth weight; the total fertility
rate is very high at 3.8; while the malnutrition
rate among children under 5 ranges from 40-
A Step for Women
A very significant step was made toward
raising maternal and child health (MCH) in
Vietnam with the establishment of the
Vietnamese Association of Midwives on
January 15. The event, which culminated
almost five years of efforts by women of
Vietnam and Japan, laid the groundwork for
improved MCH promotion through a more
well-trained and better supported network of
midwives in Vietnam.
The ceremony was attended by 120
midwives representing all 53 provinces of the
member, Parliament of Japan. As a midwife
attending the international midwives convention
in Japan in 1990, Nohno met Phan Thi Hanh, a
midwife from Hue in Vietnam. Learning of the
needs of the midwives in Vietnam, Nohno
contacted JOICFP and began a campaign to
gather support in Japan.
Finding the funds to set up the association
was the biggest hurdle for Nohno and Hanh,
since the association could apply for funds as
an official body only once it was established.
The problem was solved by Nohno who began a
fundraising campaign
in Japan to which she
and two of the
mission members
personally
contributed.
A landmark for
women, the new
association will play
an important role in
promotion of
MCH/FP. Following
Japan’s example, the
Integrated Project of
JOICFP utilizes
midwives as health
agents. Only 70% of
Midwives from all 53 provinces of Vietnam with members of the
the
10,000 or so com
Japanese mission and Japanese ambassador at the ceremony.
munes in Vietnam
currently have
country and by a mission of seven women from midwives. The association is expected to help
Japan including a parliamentarian, business
secure urgently needed basic and follow-up
women, nurses and newspaper reporter.
training for midwives. It is hoped that cooper
ation from Japan will help midwives play a
The founding of the association was
particularly moving for Chieko Nohno,
bigger role in health promotion in Vietnam.
6
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1.1111
d RegionjJ^B^ical Coi
’ MCH
50%. Due to
the high
number of
children they
bear, women
are suffering
from five
major
obstetric
complications:
hemorrhages,
Tran Thi Trung Chien
post-partum
infection,
eclampsia, ruptured uteri and tetanus.
The Communist Party and government
consider population and FP as priority issues
social economic development. The targets Oi
the MCH/FP program of the Ministry of Health
are: realization of small family size; increase of
the current contraceptive prevalence rate by 2%
annually; reduction of the infant mortality rate
from the present 45%o to 25%o; reduction of the
maternal mortality rate from 110 out of 100,000
live births to 50; and reduction of malnutrition
among children under 5 from the current level
of 50% to 25% by the year 2000.
In Vietnam, we have unions of women from
the grassroots level right up to the central level.
The women’s unions are cooperating with the
government to promote MCH/FP at all levels.
These women also help promote health in
general by cooperating in such activities as
promotion of vaccinations and breast-feeding.
The union is taking a role in educating the
community about such issues as the importanc°
of iodine and vitamin A and are also running
programs that lend families money to start
small agricultural ventures.
One pressing issue is to reduce the
incidence of induced abortion. About 1.5
million babies are born each year, but nearly 1
million induced abortions are conducted. This
figure includes menstrual regulation which
accounts for 80%. We also want to improve the
nutritional status of mothers and children. The
average height of women is as small as 152cm,
but the average weight is only 43kg or so.
We are trying to promote the cafeteria
approach to contraception so that women can
choose the method that best suits their needs.
We would like to supply contraceptives through
many channels and are encouraging private
channels so that people can have more choice.
At present, the IUD is the most popular method
and is used by 60-70% of acceptors.
JOICFP NEWS, March 1995
In the News
Valuable Lessons to Apply
The Integrated Project (IP) in Guatemala
received a boost when two representatives of
the Family Planning Association of Guatemala
(APROFAM) were sent to Mexico to learn the
experiences of the IP. The study tour,
conducted from December 5 - 9,1994, served
as an effective activity of TCDC (technical
cooperation between developing countries) and
provided the visitors with insights into
applicable experiences of the well-established
project in Mexico. In particular, Blanca de
Rodriguez and Gloria Amparo Pascual of
APROFAM learned effective strategies to
achieve self-reliance and gained insights into
outreach activities for providing sex education
adolescents of the Mexican Foundation for
i uinily Planning (MEXFAM), the IPimplementing organization in Mexico.
A prominent non-governmental
organization (NGO) in Mexico, MEXFAM has
developed the IP in two main directions:
parasite control (PC) and other preventive
health activities as an entry point for family
planning (FP) promotion, and the activities of
the Gente Joven program that focuses on
education for sexual health to groom
adolescents for responsible parenthood. For the
study tour, MEXFAM provided insights into
different community-based activities conducted
in the two states of Queretaro and Michoacan.
In Queretaro, the visitors received a broad
introduction to activities and observed mass
parasite examinations conducted at primary
schools. They also visited slum areas where
they learned how PC is used to promote FP
acceptance in the communities.
In Michoacan, the visitors attended a
meeting of the leading institutions providing
sex education under the Gente Joven model: the
Ministry of Education, State Council on
Population and MEXFAM. Another interesting
aspect of the visit was the explanation on how
to organize stool sample collection and achieve
self-reliance in PC activities.
At MEXFAM headquarters, the visitors
reviewed IEC materials and clarified strategies
Adolescents receive sexual health education
under MEXFAM’s Gente Jdven program.
used by MEXFAM in the IP and other
community-based programs. In a summing-up
session, the visitors were given an overview of
lessons learned including ways to achieve selfreliance in IP activities; uses for IEC materials
produced under the IP in Mexico; and the Gente
Joven strategy to promote sexual health and
prevent STDs including HIV/AIDS.
At the end of the trip, the Guatemalan
visitors expressed interest in formal training in
sex education activities. To further build on the
lessons learned, another laboratory technician
will be dispatched from Guatemala this year to
participate in a technical course.
Learning to Stand on Two Feet
The success that Japanese non
governmental organizations (NGOs) have
achieved in terms of self-reliance served as an
inspiration to participants of a seminar
nsored by the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) and implemented
by the Japan Association of Parasite Control
(JAPC) in cooperation with JOICFP. Guided by
firsthand observation, participants learned that
NGOs were able to sustain activities by
motivating the community to participate as
volunteers; gaining the cooperation and support
of local government and the private sector;
charging fees for services; and providing the
services on a mass scale for cost-effectiveness.
The Seminar on Parasite Control
Administration for Senior Officers was held in
Japan from January 30 - February 17 under the
theme of “A Step Towards Primary Health
Care.” It was attended by 12 participants from
10 countries and included senior governmental
officers responsible for parasite control (PC),
public health officials and hospital staff. An
annual event, the seminar served as a forum for
participants to learn about the Japanese
JOICFP NEWS, March 1995
experience in PC and community-based public
health activities and to exchange experiences
among themselves.
The highlight of the seminar was a field trip
to Kagoshima Prefecture where the team saw
varied aspects related to health and education in
an itinerary coordinated by the Kagoshima
Health Service Association. The NGO is part
of the nationwide network of preventive health
care organizations under the umbrella of JAPC
and Japan Association of Health Services
closely related to JOICFP. It was established in
1984 with financial support from the prefectural
government, medical association and preventive
health bodies as an autonomous body. Today,
the self-reliant NGO provides services over the
entire prefecture, but its close cooperative ties
with government and medical bodies have
remained strong.
This network helped open doors for the
study team which was cordially welcomed at
the prefectural government office, a public
health center, the prefectural hospital and
prefectural institute for public health, town
health center, school, medical school and
A Thai participant describes housing in his
country to primary school students.
private home. Participants were immersed in
the Japanese education system in Fukiagi Town
for half a day during a visit to a local primary
school. Enthusiastically received by staff,
parents and students, the team observed classes
and health guidance and ate a nutritional lunch
with teachers and students. The team was
interested to learn about the school lunch
program and Japanese school health system
which has a full-time nurse-teacher for first aid
and health education.
The effectiveness of stimulating the
community people to serve as volunteers was
brought home to participants who noted that
gaining community participation can make any
activity a success.
VOICE OF VOICES
By Chojiro Kunii
.?
Sharing Experiences
How do we initiate TCDC (technical
cooperation between developing countries), or
South-to-South cooperation?
I only need to recall the situation of Japan in the
postwar period to understand what kind of
experiences are appropriate for developing countries
to share. Anyone considering sharing experiences
must examine how their activities started, who began
them and how they were conducted.
In my experience, self-reliance of activities is
essential to a project’s continuity. Therefore, before
starting a project it is important to look at how many
regular staff members the activities will be able to
support. If it can provide a livelihood for staff, they
will devote themselves to work.
When we started our preventive health-care
activities, the greatest problem was securing an
income source. However, by conducting routine
parasite control activities on a fee-charged basis, we
found that we were able to earn income and sustain
our activities. Though these activities were humble,
they were really needed and appreciated by the
people. Their success taught me that the simplest of
activities can have great social value.
As our activities expanded, so did our income.
From modest beginnings, our project earned
tremendous acclaim. The activities became
recognized as the “Parasite Control Movement” and
caught on nationwide. This recognition took us by
surprise. I was very moved since I had considered
my work as something very routine.
We at JOICFP place great importance on the
sharing of experiences under South-to-South
cooperation. Indonesia, which has an Integrated
Project (IP) Training Center in Jakarta, has been
extending cooperation to other countries. China also
intends to share its experiences with other countries
through the IP Training Center, which was set up
about a year ago in Taicang City, Jiangsu Province.
JOICFP’s IP embraces a wide range of services
such as family planning, maternal and child health,
environmental sanitation and primary health care. It
may be confusing for those wanting to apply the IP
experience to know where to start. But I can assure
anyone that from my half century of experiences,
-Twenty participants from six countries
attending the Advanced Nursing Study Course
for South East Asian Nurses of JICA came to
JOICFP on Jan. 13 for a onc-day seminar on FP
in Japan and JOICFP’s Integrated Project.
- JOICFP Program Officer Sumie Ishii was in
Vietnam from Jan. 14 - 16 to attend the
inauguration ceremony of the Vietnamese
Midwives Association.
-JOICFP Program Officer Kiyoko Ikegami and
staff member Telsuo Kato were in Ecuador to
attend the National Seminar on IEC for
Adolescent Health on Jan. 11. Ikegami later
traveled to New York to hold discussions with
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Kobe Earthquake
JOICFP is grateful for the many
responses it received expressing sorrow and
understanding following the Great Hanshin
Earthquake that hit Kobe and surrounding
areas on January 17. The quake claimed
over 5,300 lives, caused unprecented
destruction and brought severe pain and
disruption to people’s lives. JOICFP would
like to once again express its sadness over
this very tragic incident.
JOICFP ‘Women's Feoltf andStatus Series
°Q
DIARY
beginning such a project is not so difficult. The key
is to start small within a community by offering
needed services. Once the services are accepted,
you can gradually expand the scope of the work. As
you apply yourself to the task and remain attuned to
meeting community needs, the project’s direction
will develop naturally. If you commit yourself in
such a way, you will find that your work will grow
and earn value in your society.
_______ A New Animated Film________
UNFPA and returned to Japan on Jan. 15. Kato
went to Guatemala and Mexico for project
monitoring before returning to Japan on Jan. 22.
- The 3rd Regional Technical Committee Meeting
of the Sustainable Community-based FP/MCH
Project with Special Focus on Women, held in
Tokyo from Jan. 23 - 28, was attended by 18
participants from six project countries.
- Program Officer Kiyoko Ikegami was entrusted
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct a
situation analysis survey in Senegal under the GII
on Population and AIDS. Ikegami was later in
Geneva to discuss the issue of AIDS with WHO.
She was out of Japan from Jan. 21 - Feb. 5.
Courtesy Calls
My Way
13 min., Color/English, Thai
Sexual relationships between teenagers lend to place
young women in much more serious situations, both
physically and mentally, than their partners. Four young
women are depicted in this film, each with a chance Io
have a sexual relationship with her boyfriend. What
desires does each girl feel for her partner? How does
each girl make her own, personal choice?
My Way is the first film in the Women's Health and
Status Series. It was produced specifically for the Asian
region. If is an animated film jointly produced by Japan
and Thailand, the first country in the world to promote AIDS
education on a nationwide scale.
Distributed by
I
Ram Krishna Neupane, director general, Family
Planning Association of Nepal, paid a courtesy call
to Kazutoshi Kato, mayor, ToshimaCily, and Hideo
Kimura, deputy mayor, Musashino City, in Tokyo on
January 20. Neupane expressed gratitude for the
reconditioned bicycles and notebooks donated by the
Municipal
Coordinating
Committee for
Overseas Bicycle
Assistance
(MCCOBA).
Explaining that FPAN
Neupane (left) with Kato
has about 1,800 health
volunteers, Neupane
expressed interest in receiving bicycles to help
mobilize these workers.
Meanwhile, Patricio Villegas, mayor,
Municipality of Malvar, and Benjamin Martinez,
mayor, Municipality of Balayan, Balangas
Province, the Philippines, paid courtesy calls to
Hideo Kondo,
deputy mayor,
ToshimaCily, on
January 25. The
mayors expressed
thanks for the 150
bicycles donated
Kondo (left) with mayors
by three cities to
their municipal
ities and showed gratitude for the 1,700 bicycles
donated to the Philippines since 1988. Villegas,
who also serves as head of the mayors of
Batangas, explained that the bicycles helped
mobilize health workers and contributed to many
other aspects of community life.
Sakura Motion Picture Co., Ltd.
Yoyogi Center Bldg., 57-1 Yoyogi l-chome
Shibuyo-ku, Tokyo 151, Jopon
Tel: 81-3-33206311 /Fox: 81 -3-3320-7666
Telex: J34799 ITCINBTH
16mm' VTR (Beta, VHS/NTSC, PAL, SECAM)
|
JOICFP NEWS is a monthly newsletter published by
the Japanese Organization for International
Cooperation in Family Planning, Inc. (JOICFP).
JOICFP NEWS welcomes your comments,
suggestions and contributions. Please mail to:
JOICFP NEWS
Hoken Kaikan Bekkan
1-1, Ichigaya Sadohara-cho
Shinjuku-ku. Tokyo 162 Japan
Phone: 81-3-3268-5875
Facsimile: 81-3-3235-7090
JOICFP NEWS, March 1995
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