NO. 225 MARCH 1993.pdf

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COMMUNITY HEALTH CEU
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- No. 225 March 1993

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JOICFP NEWS
Saburo Okita Dies at 78
World loses opinion leader and advocate ofpopulation, development and environmental issues
Ohira. From 1980-1981, he held the post
of government representative for External
Economic Relations.
At the time of his death, Okita held
numerous positions in a variety of
prestigious bodies within Japan including
chairman of the Council on Population
Education and chairman of Population
Forum 21. He was also a board member
of JOICFP and had close ties with
international bodies such as UNFPA.
“An opinion leader on global deve­
lopment issues since the 1960s, Okita
had a deep knowledge of world economics
and North-South issues,” said Japanese
Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. On
hearing of his death, the prime minister
expressed sadness and said that Japan
had lost a great person with an excep­
tional grasp of global issues.

Salas Memorial Lectures

Former Foreign Minister of Japan Saburo Okita.

Saburo Okita,formerforeign minister
ofJapan, died suddenly on February 9 in
Tokyo of a heart attack. A worldrecognized economist and opinion
leader, Okita made significant
contributions to thefields ofdevelopment,
population and environment and was
wellknownfor his input into international
bodies such as the Club ofRome and the
World Commission on Environment and
Development (Brundtland Commission)
chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland. Born
in Dalian, China, on November 4,1913,
Okita was 78 at the time of his death.
A persuasive advocate of inter­
national assistance and cooperation
within Japan, Okita showed a keen in­
terest in global issues early in his career.
After graduating from Tokyo University,
he began work in the Japanese

government and was involved in research
related to power and industrial production
during the war years. In the postwar years
of reconstruction Okita began his rise to
prominence. As an employee of the
Economic Stabilization Board (a
predecessor of the Economic Planning
Agency), he was an architect of a blueprint
for the country’s reconstruction and
between 1948-1951 wrote annual white
papers on the Japanese economy.
Okita was chairman of the first Japan
Population Conference in 1974 while
serving as the president of the Overseas
Economic Cooperation Fund from 19731977. He went on to take the post of
foreign minister from 1979-1980 and
represented Japan at the economic summit
held in Venice in 1980 following the sudden
death of former Prime Minister Masayoshi

Okita was highly respected in Japan
and abroad for his broad knowledge of
development, population, environment
and women’s issues. As the first lecturer
of the UNFPA Rafael M. Salas Memorial
Lecture Series, Okita highlighted the
relationship between population and
development from a global perspective
and spoke of education as one of the keys
to promoting fami ly planning and solving
population problems. He also emphasized
that increased income levels, improved
nutrition, lower infant mortality,
improved status for women and decisive
governmental action in population
policies also play a critical role in
improving the living conditions in
developing countries.
In a message to Okita’s family, Dr. I
Nafis Sadik, executive director, UNFPA, I
said that Okita had been “both a great
friend and a strong supporter of the work
of UNFPA.” “He was an admired friend
of both developing and developed
countries because of his deep insight into
and understanding of global issues,” she
said. “We in the field of population and
development will miss him dearly.” [J]
1

Asia

New Start
for Women
in Asia
Four-year regional FP project
focuses on improving status
and health of women

Of -u ]

11

Participants of the Regional Tech­
nical Committee Meeting in Tokyo called
on shared experiences of the Integrated
Project (IP) to consolidate workplans
and strategies to strengthen the UNFPA'B. supported operational research project
for Asia. Entitled “Sustainable Com­
munity-based Family Planning (FP) and Participants observe classes for expectant mothers in Showa Town,
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) improve the level of health and status of health personnel such as public health
Project with Special Focus on Women,” women in the region.
nurses and midwives to promote FP;
the project is being executed in four
For Bangladesh, the general objective the establishment of community
countries: Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal and of the project is “the empowerment of organizations which could conduct
the Philippines.
women and fostering of their involvement autonomous activities; and the efforts to
Organized by JOICFP and supported in sustainable community-based integrated encourage enterprises to provide FP
by UNFPA, the Tokyo meeting was program in FP/MCH and development education and services to employees and
attended by 10 participants from activities,” according to Mukarram their families as a health and welfare
Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines Chowdhury, director general, Family initiative. Kon also emphasized that the
and resource persons from China, Planning Association of Bangladesh credibility of the people promoting the
Indonesia and Japan. Representatives of (FPAB). One of three representatives of healthcare activities during this period
Laos were not able to attend the gathering, FPAB at the meeting, Chowdhury said was also a major reason why people
held from January 26 - 30. Discussions that he expected the project to produce readily accepted services and joined
at the meeting focused on finalizing some practical ideas for the creation of activities.
strategies, workplans, operation, man­ new strategies and action plans.
Participants had a chance to broaden
agement and monitoring and evaluation
their understanding of Japan’s
schemes for the project in each country.
Small Family Norm
experiences during a field trip to Showa
The four-year regional project,
Town, Saitama Prefecture. Through
ultimately aimed at expanding quality
One of the long-term objectives of the firsthand observation and discussions
care and expanding FP services through project in Nepal will be to create health with health personnel, participants
the promotion of the IP, is focused on awareness among communities to enhance learned about the role that grassroots
improving the position of women and the maternal health and child survival and organizations such as Aiiku-han (MCH
level of health while fostering community promote the concept of the small family volunteers)
participation in project activities. The norm, said Ram Krishna Neopane, director played
in
project is also aimed at enhancing general, Family Planning Association of improving the
cooperation among countries in the Nepal (FPAN). The project will be level of health
Asian region to developed on the basis of community through the
promote the participation, replicability and sustain­ promotion of
preventive
exchange of ability, he said.
The two Philippine representatives, healthcare.
experiences
and technical from the Department of Health and During their
expertise, and University of the Philippines, also provided visit, the team
setting up a valuable input into the workshop in terms joined a class Ram Krishna Neopane
network of of practical strategies for the operational for mothers
being given by a public health nurse.
NGOs to es­ research scheme.
The regional meeting was the first of
Providing background on Japan’s
tablish new
Mukarram Chowdhury strategies for postwar FP/MCH experiences, JOICFP the meetings to be held on an annual
project self- Deputy Executive Director Yasuo Kon basis. Through the exchange of ideas
reliance and sustainability. Under the outlined five factors that led to the success and the better understanding of each
project, each of the four countries is of FP: a clearly defined concept of FP and country’s situation gained during the
carrying out a separate project tailored to the promotion of FP as an MCH service; meeting, participants were able to refine
meet local conditions to determine the smooth collaboration between the workplans and clarify strategies of the
most appropriate type of project to government and NGOs; the utilization of project.
[J]

2

JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

Viewpoints

Humanistic FP in China
Dr. Huang Baoshan, director,
Department of International Relations,
State Family Planning Commission
(SFPC), and member, National Steering
Committee ofthe Integrated Project (IP),
spoke with JOICFP HEWS on January
29 about the progress of the IP which
was recently expanded to cover a total of
16 provinces out ofmain land China 's 30
provinces.
In June 1990, we held a national
conference on the IP in Hohhot City,
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,
and invited representatives of non-IP
provinces to attend and listen to the
experiences of the eight IP areas. The
vice minister of the SFPC and vice
president of the China Family Planning
Association (CFPA) also attended. At
the meeting we introduced some Japanese
ideas and outlined what we have been
doing in China in IP pilot areas.
The ideas of the IP have expanded
and another 10 provinces will start the IP
this year. When the IP was first initiated
in China it covered around 271,000
people. It now covers 2.1 million.
You might ask why the Chinese

government has accepted the IP. The
Chinese people welcomed it—that is why.
Most of what we are doing under the IP is
based on the philosophy of voluntary
humanistic family planning (FP). People
very quickly see the benefits of the project
as deworming takes effect, the environ­
mental sanitation and water supply are
improved and new toilets are constructed.
People say that the IP really brings
benefits into their lives and are very happy
to join the activities voluntarily. Also, our
community leaders and the heads of
different FPCs and FPAs have found that
the IP is a good way to promote FP.

Integrating FP & Health
Another benefit of the IP is that it
brings FP workers and health workers
together and strengthens their relationship.
Under the government’s present system,
the health and FP sectors are separated.
The health sector belongs to the Ministry
of Health and FP workers belong to the
SFPC. In any township, for instance, there
will be FP guidance stations, MCH centers
and township hospitals. But in IP areas, we

JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

combine FP work with that of other
sectors. We sign contracts with the
governor of each county who coordinates
all these sectors under the IP. Only the
governor is in charge of FP, health and
education and can coordinate all them.
Combining the work of the different
sectors is really good for the FP worker
and the people. If they are not combined,
people naturally like the health worker,
but not the FP worker.
Population is a big priority issue for
the Chinese government. We have to
seek good ways to carry out FP. The IP
is one good way and it has won acceptance
among the leaders of SFPC.
[T]

which we learned from Japan. We
targeted closed communities and started
with school children and their mothers
who are easy to reach. We integrate a
number of health-related activities such
as parasite control and personal hygiene
and encourage the active involvement of
local government — particularly health
and education authorities.

Self-reliance
in Indonesia
Dr. Firman Lubis, executive director,
Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB), Indon­
esia, spoke to JOICFP NEWS on January
29 about the Integrated Project (IP) in
Indonesia and sharing IP experiences
with other developing countries. Below
is an outline of the interview.
After the price of oil dropped in 1982
and revenue from oil fell, the Indonesian
government began to stimulate the private
sector to be more involved in develop­
ment. Fields such as health and family
planning (FP) were also affected —
budgets were cut sharply and projects
were affected. To stimulate so-called
“self-reliance in FP,” the government
began to create policies aimed at getting
the community to support the bulk of FP
programs. Because of this situation, the
Coordinating Forum of the IP decided to
start fee-charging to attain self-reliance.
Fee-charging is not only important in
terms of program sustainability, but it
can also prove that services are really
needed by the community. We could not
claim that our FP services really meet the

Huang Baoshan

Sharing Experiences

Firman Lubis

needs of the people if we were providing
them free. Also, fee-charging forces us to
improve the quality of our services since
people will pay only if the services are
good quality and suit their needs.
To promote IP self-reliance, we set up
new strategies. One was to strengthen the
Coordinating Forum which comprises
representatives of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and government, and
academics. Under this forum is an executive
team of highly motivated personnel with
technical as well as business skills. Since
we are aiming at self-reliance, these people
need to be very capable especially in the
area of IEC and marketing.
Another strategy is the “mass approach”

Developing countries should learn
from each other and share experiences in
development so that they do not have to
start from scratch. It is very important
that countries adapt experiences to suit
their own conditions. We have much to
share especially in the area of selfreliance. A country seeking to carry out
FP on a self-reliant basis must conduct
studies, and needs to know what kind of
studies to conduct and what should be
covered by them. There are key factors
to opening a self-reliant FP/MCH clinic:
what is the target population; where to
start first; what kind of IEC and
promotional activities need to be done;
how to set up an accounting and pricing
system; how to train staff; how to work
with local governments and where to get
support.
[T|

3

IEC Workshop

For Mothers
and Growing
Daughters

I
■

Workshop participants
produce regional prototype
IEC materials for
preadolescent health
Participants ofan IEC workshop held
in Malaysia took up the challenge of
developing and producing printed
educational materials for preadolescent
women s health with enthusiasm and
came up with regional prototype IEC
materials that were pretested during the
meeting, held from February 6-11.
Aimed at the education ofpreadolescents
(aged 10-13) on menstruation, the
prototypes produced by the participants
include a card for girls to record their
menstrual cycle and a handbook to aid
mothers in explaining menstruation and
healthcare to their preadolescent
daughters.
The IEC Workshop for the Production
of Printed Educational Materials for
Preadolescent Women’s Health was part
of the UNFPA-supported regional project
for Asia titled “The Development,
Production and Distribution of IEC
Materials Aiming at the Improvement of
Women’s Health and Status.’’ It was
organized by JOICFP and the Federation
of Family Planning Associations,
Malaysia (FFPAM) with the support of
UNFPA and IPPF. The workshop was
attended by 20 participants from 11
countries including representatives of
health and education officials, non­
governmental organizations and inter­
national agencies.
The female preadolescent target

Primary school children assess the
IEC materials during pretesting.

4

Dr. Seiichi Matsumoto (far right) joins a production session.

group for the IEC materials was chosen in
light of the importance of informing young
girls of bodily changes and cycles to pro­
mote reproductive health and pave the way
for better understanding of family planning
(FP) methods and the active acceptance of
their femininity. During discussions,
participants noted that no IEC materials of
the sort created at the workshop were in
circulation in their countries.

Positive Attitude
The importance of encouraging young
women to have a positive attitude toward
their bodies and menstruation was
highlighted by resource person Dr. Seiichi
Matsumoto, chairman of the Japan Family
Planning Association (JFPA), board
member of JOICFP and recognized
authority on adolescent gynecology.
Stressing the role of positive mother-todaughter dialogue on menstruation,
Matsumoto said that research had shown
that a mother’s reaction to her daughter’s
menarche had a significant impact on the
daughter’s attitude towards menstruation.
Participants were also introduced to
the activities of FFPAM by Executive
Director Cheng Yin Mooi who provided
insights into the youth activities that have
been conducted by the organization since
the 1970s. To gain a deeper understanding
of FFPAM’s work, participants attended a
training session on youth counseling for
counselors and teachers, took part in a
family life education (FEE) youth camp,
and observed health education for young
girls at a rural primary school.
For prototype production, participants
were divided into four groups to create two
versions of the calendars and handbooks.
They were joined by four art students who
quickly turned concepts into attactively
designed materials. With the cooperation

of Subang Jaya Public School, the cards
were pretested on a group of 42 female
students (ages 10-12) and the handbooks
on a test group of 31 female teachers.
Feedback received through question­
naires and focus group discussions was
later used to revise the materials.
The participants also received
comments on the prototypes by experts
from several fields such as child
psychology and advertising who attended
the closing session of the workshop.
Commenting on the workshop,
participants said that they had learned
much from working closely together and
that they welcomed the clear objectives
and the informal and refreshing
atmosphere. The experience of creating
tangible materials at a workshop was a
first for many participants, who said they
were excited by the results.
As a follow-up of the workshop,
participants
were
re­
quested to
develop
proposals for
producing
their own
E■
■ ' W'&of XI
materials
based on the
I
prototypes
after making
modi fications to
IEC prototypes
suit the local
culture and
conditions. The best proposals will be
selected by a panel of experts nominated
by JOICFP and funds will be provided to
mass-produce the materials. Once
produced, it is hoped that the materials
will be sold by the organizations through
health and education channels to
contribute to their self-reliance.
[J]

i

HE

I cT' ■ ■Will1

*

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JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

Africa

Building on Strong Foundations
Health workers and TBAs take FP messages further in Tanzania as CBDs

Under the Integrated Project (IP), I have two health workers drawn from the I position is generally passed down from
traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and I community
communitv and trained in primary health I mother to daughter and who hold a
position of respect within a village.
village health workers in Tanzania
Under the IP, health workers
are seeing their roles broadened to
and TBAs receive training in
incorporate the promotion of
modern contraceptives and in
family planning (FP) and other
record-keeping to enable moni­
health-related activities as they are
toring of project progress. The
trained to workas community-based
latter is particularly important for
distributors (CBDs). By recruiting
the TBAs who have often received
existing health personnel and
no formal training in data collection.
training them to expand their
activities to work as CBDs, the
Record Keeping
project-implementing agency,
UMATI (Family Planning
These efforts have been made
Association of Tanzania), has been
L
I
easier
by the creation of a
able to promote the integrated
|
standardized
record-keeping format
components of the project more
■
I
by Pathfinder International which
effectively on an outreach basis,
was recently introduced in
enhance cost-effectiveness, ensure
Tanzania. Innovations have also
continuity of health staff and gain
been made at the local level to
greater participation of the
assist TBAs with the task of data
community people in project
collection. For those TBAs in
activities.
Mgeta Division who cannot count,
^1, J.;
The CBD system is particularly
a simple system involving knots
well-suited to promotion of FP
tied in a piece of string has been
integrated with other health-related
introduced to enable them to keep
components and has met with
track of births. Revered by
success in the rural communities
A TBA displays her CBD health kit.
community and well-acquainted
where it has been established
through the IP. Under the government care (PHC). In addition to these workers, with the customs and needs of the people
health system, each village is required to I communities are served by TBAs whose they serve, TBAs work effectively as FP
promoters once they have received
training.
In 1992, a total of 53 CBDs were
trained by UMATI in Hai District under
the IP. For this year, UMATI plans to
A six-week stay in the Philippines developing countries) basis.
provide refresher courses for 150 TBAs
During his stay, Mlay was introduced to
was a learning experience for Richard
and health workers and train 30 new
Mlay, coordinator, IP, Tanzania. In the planning, production and application
Manilafrom September 28- November of a wide range of IEC materials including
CBDs.
E

I >

6 . IM

wK

I
II

A Learning Experience

6, 1992, Mlay joined 11 other printed materials, slides, videotapes and
computer presentation
participants for a
software. The IP co­
course on the pro­
ordinator also had an
duction and utilization
opportunity to observe
of audio-visual mat­
activities of the IP
erials. The course,
implemented by the
designed to provide
Foundation for Inte­
participants with the
grated Services on
necessary skills to
Health and Develop­
plan, design, produce
ment (FISHDEV) in the
and present audio­
Philippines including
visual materials and
nutrition program and
programs, was organ­
livelihood project acti­
ized by UNDP and
Richard Mlay
vities and exchange
conducted by the Asia
and Pacific Program for Development information with project personnel.
The comprehensive training in IEC
Training and Communication Planning.
Mlay was sponsored by JOICFP as materials was well-received by Mlay who
part of the organization’s efforts to has been applying the knowledge he
promote exchange of experiences on a gained during the course in IP areas
since his return to Tanzania.
TCDC (technical cooperation between

JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

■T

I
A health worker/CBD known as the
“professor”in his village for his
knowledge of healthcare.

5

In the News

Integrated
Healthcare
in Spotlight

U.S. Comes in
from the Cold

Chinese journalists spread
word about Integrated Project
The Integrated Project (IP) was put
in the spotlight in China recently after a
10-member team of journalists visited
the IP area in Jiangchuan County,
Yunnan Province, in September lastyear.
Reporting on their observations, the
journalists provided their impressions of
the IP in newspaper articles and radio
programs printed and broadcast between
October and December last year.
Arranged by the National Steering
Committee of the IP, the visiting team
comprised journalists from the Xinhua
Agency, Central People s Broadcasting

Flavier at the Helm
The appointment of Dr. Juan Flavier as
secretary of health in the Philippines was
good news for people living in rural
communities throughout the country. A
vigorous advocate of community-based
healthcare and supporter of family planning
(FP), Flavier brings decades of experience
in public health and a background in rural
reconstruction to his post. As president
of first the
LX
Philippine Rural
Reconstruction
Movement and
later the Inter­
national Institute
for Rural Recon­
struction, Flavier
became acutely
aware of the
health
and
welfare
needs
of
Juan Flavier
the grassroots
and created innovative programs and
activities designed to answer these needs.
In particular, Flavier is respected in the
Philippines and abroad for his success in
communicating scientific and medical
concepts to rural audiences and is wellknown for his emphasis on community
participation in primary health care
activities. Flavier made valuable
contributions to the creation of the concept
and strategies of the Integrated Project (IP)
during the initial stages of the project’s
development and has remained closely
associated with JOICFP.
6

Journalists interview a headmaster.
Station,China International Broadcasting
Station, China Women sNewspaper, Legal
Daily Newspaper, Beijing Review, China
Population Newspaper and China
Population Information Center. Below is
an outline of the reports broadcast by the
Central People s Broadcasting Station and
China International Broadcasting Station.
About 220,000 people live in
Jiangchuan County where the IP is
implemented by the China Family Planning
Association (CFPA) and State Family
Planning Commission (SFPC) in cooper­
ation with JOICFPand IPPF. Local health­
care officials say that the IP has done much
to improve people’s health and enhance
the promotion of family planning (FP).

Awareness of Health

According to Luo Chongming, deputy
chief, Jiangchuan County, the use of
parasite control as an entry point for IP
promotion has increased awareness of
health issues among villagers. He said the
villagers are actively improving water and
sewage facilities and homes have running
water and methane stoves for cooking.
The goals of the project are to improve
health through FP, disease control and
awareness creation. Villagers are encour­
aged to understand the importance of
accepting FP for themselves and since the
IP was initiated in the county, the crude
birth rate has dropped from 2.30% at the
end of 1989 to 1.09% in mid-1992; the
crude death rate has dropped from 0.62%
to 0.45% and the FP acceptance rate has
increased from 61% to 86%.
Promoters of the IP have continued to
win the trust of the community and the
project has been effectively promoted in
schools where it has created awareness of
health issues among students.
The FP organizations at various levels
are very satisfied with I Presuits and realize
importance of contributing to the success
of the project which is effective for
changing people’s attitudes toward health,
population and social development.
Q]

In a resounding show of support for the
family planning (FP) promotion work ofnon­
governmental organizations (NGOs), U.S.
President Bill Clinton reversed a restrictive
1984 order known as the “Mexico City
Policy.” The lifting of the order, announced
officially on January 22, paves the way for
resumption of U.S. foreign assistance to
UNFPA which was halted in 1986.
Announced in August 1984 by former
President Ronald Reagan, the policy directed
the U.S. Agency for International Aid
(USAID) to expand a 1961 limitation on the
use of U.S. federal funds by NGOs “to pay for
the performance of abortions as a method of
FP or to motivate or coerce any person to
practice abortions.” Under the expanded
restrictions, USAID was directed to withhold
funds from NGOs that engaged in a wide
range of activities including providing advice,
counseling, orinformation regarding abortion,
or lobbying a foreign government to legalize
or make abortion available.
Unwarranted restrictions
In a memorandum to the acting USAID
head, Clinton stated: “These excessively broad
anti-abortion conditions are unwarranted. I
am informed that the conditions are not
mandated by the Foreign Assistance Act or
any other law. Moreover, they have
undermined efforts to promote safe and
efficacious FP programs in foreign nations.
Accordingly, I hereby direct that USAID
remove the conditions not explicitly man­
dated by the Foreign Assistance Act or any
other law from all current USAID grants to
NGOs and exclude them from further grants. ”
In a meeting at the White House on January
25, Dr. Nafis Sadik, executive director,
UNFPA, was assured by the president that
the U.S. would resume funding to the
multilateral organization. Welcoming the
U.S. move, Sadik said that a renewed U.S.
contribution to international efforts to ad­
dress population would send a signal to the
world that the U.S. is prepared again to lead
in helping the world meet the need for
reproductive health and FP.
In 1985, the U.S. pledged US$45 million to
UNFPA but withdrew US$10 million, before
completely halting funding in 1986. Japan is
currently the largest donor to the Fund and
contributed US$59.3 million of the total
UNFPA budget of US$280 million in 1992.
As well as reversing the Mexico City Policy,
Clinton also overturned the so-called “gag
rule” that restricted abortion counseling at
federally funded FPclinics in the U.S.; ended
a five-year ban on fetal tissue research; acted
to revoke restrictions on the importation of
RU 486 (“abortion pill”); and allowed
abortions at military hospitals overseas.
JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

Japan

Wheels Turning for MCCOBA
Bicycle assistance activities geared up to support healthcare
The member cities of the Municipal I assistance, the bicycles provide health
Coordinating Committee for Overseas I workers and community-based distributors
(CBDs) with a
Bicycle
convenient
Assistance
(MCCOBA)
means
of
transport for
geared up their
taking services
assistance
and messages to
activities last
people living in
year with a total
rural areas. The
of 1,800 recon­
bicycles have
ditioned bicycles
being shipped
also encouraged
women to take a
abroad between
more active role
January and
in community
December 1992.
activities as the
The bicycles,
possession of a
mostly sent to
A health volunteer in Guatemala at work.
donated bicycle
communities
gives the female
where the Inte­
grated Project (IP) is being implemented, health worker a position of status in the
were shipped to developing countries in village.
Based on its experiences of donating
the Asian, African and Latin American
regions. To date, 6,725 bicycles have reconditioned bicycles to support the
promotion of family planning (FP),
been shipped abroad under the scheme.
Welcomed by health personnel and maternal and child health (MCH) and
community people as a practical form of primary health care (PHC) in IP areas,

Sharing Japan’s Experiences
Nurses drawn from countries in the Asian
region learned much about postwar family
planning and maternal and child health
activities in Japan at two recent one-day
seminars at JOICFP. The first seminar, held
on January 12, was attended by 20 nurses from
the Asian region, while the second, held on
January 18, was attended by four senior nurses
from Taiwan. Entrusted to JOICFP by the
Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), the seminars provided the nurses with
Participants from Taiwan.
background on community-based FP in Japan
through presentations, film shows and discussions. The nurses were also introduced
to the activities of JOICFP’s Integrated Project which promotes FP as part of an
integrated package with components such as maternal and child health (MCH),
parasite control, nutrition and environmental
sanitation activities and is based on the
success of integrated healthcare promotion
in postwar Japan. The nurses were also
given insights into IEC materials produced
by JOICFP and received an English-language
version of the MCH Handbook with an
explanation of its function. At the conclusion
of the seminars, the nurses commented that
the meetings gave them with a valuable
understanding of Japan’s experiences and
Nurses from Asia.
their application in developing countries.
JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

MCCOBA expanded its activities to
support FP/MCH projects being
conducted by UNFPA in Ethiopia,
Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
in 1992 and early 1993. As in the IP
areas, the bicycles are doing much to
reinforce the CBD system in rural areas.
Since it was established in 1988,
MCCOBA has continued to attract a
growing number of members. Currently,
the body has 12 member cities: Ageo,
Arakawa, Bunkyo, Kawaguchi,
Musashino, Nerima, Omiya, Ota,
Setagaya, Tama, Tokorozawa and
Toshima cities.
[T]

VDIA —10 Million
and Rising
An increasing number of Japanese
people are contributing to international
assistance activities through the
Voluntary Deposit for International
Aid (VDIA) scheme with the number
of VDIA account holders skyrocketing
to reach over 10 million (as of January
22 this year). The new figure marks a
significant increase from the 6.74
million VDIA accounts held by
members of the
public at the end
of March 1992.
Administered by
the Ministry of
Posts and Tele­
communications,
the scheme supports the activi­
ties of non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) in developing countries
through Japanese NGOs with funds
collected from 20% of the interest of
the deposits of VDIA account holders.
The scheme was launched in
January 1991 and has continued to win
acceptance among the public as a
trustworthy and well-organized system
for contributing to assistance activities.
Moreover, with 24,000 branches in
Japan, the ministry’s scheme is readily
accessible to people from all walks of
life. As of January, one out of every
eight ordinary accounts was a VDIA
account.
In 1992, JOICFP received funds
under the VDIA scheme to support the
activities of the Integrated Project (IP)
in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Nepal,
Tanzania and Zambia. Proposals for
further VDIA funding will be
submitted by JOICFP this year.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CELb
326. V Main, I Block
Korambngala
Bangalore-560034

7

Voice of Voices
By Chojiro Kunii

Sino-Japanese Exchanges
Thirteen years have passed since
exchanges began between JOICFP and
China with the cooperation of IPPF. We
began these exchanges by inviting Chinese
delegations to Japan to learn about Japan’s
past and its present situation. The missions
of 10 to 15 people vi sited Japanese commu­
nities where they spoke with local people
and learned about the efforts during the
postwar reconstruction period. Our aim
was to provide a full picture of the people’s
struggle to solve the population problem
and their innovations to decrease birthrates
and improve living conditions, maternal
and child health, and community health.
The visitors were also introduced to
various problems and darker periods in
Japan’s past to give them a full under­
standing of our history from events in the
lives of the common people to large political
issues that affect both our countries. Today,
a good level of understanding has been
established between the peoples of the two
nations — through the study of Chinese
thought and culture, the Japanese have been
encouraged to examine ±eir own lifestyles,
while Chinese people have been able to
identify with the Chinese ways of thought
that influence the lives of the Japanese
people.

Mutually Beneficial

Thus, the Sino-Japanese exchanges
have had a positive influence on the
development of lifestyles and community
movements in both countries. For example,
the many areas of the Integrated Project
(IP) in China have become catalytic points
for people striving for development. This
a major reason why the IP has attracted the
active participation of many people and has
continued to progress steadily.
My concept of sharing the Japanese
experience in community development,
preventive health and family planning (FP)
has been applied on a large scale with the
cooperation of the Chinese government
and is continuing to flourish. In the project
areas, community people were stimulated
by parasite control activities to improve
sewage disposal systems, obtain clean
drinking water, prevent infectious diseases,
and practice FP and participate in MCH
activities. The integrated concept has now
even extended into the areas of education
for the community people and the
organization of small-scale industries. In
this way, Japanese systems of develop­
ment formulated in the postwar years have
been serving as stimuli on China’s road to
development.
[T|

8

DIARY
A six-member team from the China Family
Planning Association (CFPA), headed by Li
Baozhong, deputy secretary-general, CFPA,
was in Japan from Dec. 6 -13 to study FPA selfreliance.
*
*
*
Dr. Fernando Amado, director, Supervision
and Training, FP Bureau, Ministry of Health,
Mexico, visited JOICFP on Dec. 16 to exchange
information.
*
*
*
JOICFP Program Officer Ryoko Nishida was
in the Philippines from Dec. 6 - 19 to prepare
for the initiation of the new UNFPA-supported
regional project.
*
*
*
JOICFP Program Officer Sumie Ishii and staff
member Sono Aibe were in Malaysia from
Dec. 9 -13 to prepare for the IEC workshop and
in Laos from Dec. 14 - 24 to prepare for the
UNFPA-supported regional project.
*
*
*
Nafis Sadik, executive director, UNFPA, was
in Japan from Dec. 15 - 23 to join a series of
lectures including the Population Forum 21
symposium and exchange information with
parliamentarians and government officials. She
was accompanied Dr. Hirofumi Ando, director,
Information and External Relations Division,
UNFPA.
*
*
*
Twenty nurses from six countries participating
in the ASEAN Specialized Nursing Course
attended an FP seminar at JOICFP on Jan. 12.
*
*
*
Four senior nurses from Tai wan, China, attended
a one-day FP seminar at JOICFP on Jan. 18.
*
*
*
Yoshio Koike, UNFPA country director,
Afghanistan, visited JOICFP on Jan. 25 to
exchange information.

Kunii Awarded
Chojiro Kunii, chairman of JOICFP,
president of the Japan Family Planning
Association (JFPA) and a pioneering
member of the Family Planning
Federation of Japan (FPFJ), was recently
honored by IPPF for his contributions to
the international family planning (FP)
movement. As one of 36 people selected
worldwide by IPPF, Kunii received a
citation in recognition of his “outstanding
contribution to the federation and FP” on
October 22, last year. The certificates of
appreciation, signed by Dr. Fred Sai,
president, and Dr. Halfdan Mahler,
secretary general, IPPF, were presented
to recipients in 1992 to commemorate
the 40th anniversary of the IPPF. An
early leader of the FP movement in
postwar Japan, Kunii has remained
actively involved in the promotion FP
and health activities both domestically
and internationally.

Sadik on TV
Dr. Nafis Sadik, executive director,
UNFPA, made an appearance on national
television in Japan on January 26 ina45minuteprogram aired on the educational
channel ofNHK (National Broadcasting
Corporation). Broadcast during prime­
time viewing hoursfrom 8:00 - 8:45p.m.,
the programfeatured Sadik’s address to
the Meeting ofJapanese Women’s Groups
in Fukuoka, held December 17 and 18, in
Fukuoka, Japan. Focusing on women in
development and related population
issues, Sadik highlighted issues such as
women’s status, education for women
and reproductive health and rights in her
speech. She also spoke about the state of
the world population and the upcoming
International Conference on Population
and Development to be held in Cairo,
Egypt, in 1994.

JOICFT ‘Women's Jlealtf andStatus Series
________ A New Animated Film_________

Twin Lotus
13 min., Color/English, Chinese

A newly-wed couple is just beginning Io live
together in a beautiful riverside district in southern
Chino. One day the wife collapses from illness
while at work.
Women today must learn about their bodies and
be intent upon maintaining their health so they can
lead more self-reliant lives.
This film, from the Women's Health and Status
Series, is a Japan-China joint production that uses
an animation technique based on a traditional
paper-cutting method.
Distributed by

Sakura Motion Picture Co., Ltd.
Yoyogi Center Bldg., 57-1 Yoyogi 1-chome
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151 , Japan
Tel: 81 ■3-33206311/Fax: 81 3-33207666
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, Sadohara-cho, Ichigaya
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162 Japan
Phone: 81-3-3268-5875
Telex: 2324584 JOICFP J
Cable Address: JOICFP Tokyo
Facsimile: 81-3-3235-7090
JOICFP NEWS, March 1993

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