In 2004, JOICFP launched a new Asia regional project "Strengthening Advocacy for ASRH Programs through Youth Initiative (RAS5R205)," under the UNFPA Asia Regional Program, based on the experiences and outcomes of the previous one. This regional project is nicknamed Movah! (Movement for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health).

In October 2004, a planning meeting was held in Tokyo to develop a framework for community advocacy on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) through youth initiative by empowering both young people and adults in rural communities, in particular in Bangladesh and Cambodia as model project countries.

As the first regional technical training, JOICFP conducted Approduction training in Cambodia from 15th to 18th March 2005, to provide basic skills in process documentation, and to provide orientation on a regional advocacy kit development. Eleven project managers and youth leaders from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines attended the training.

JOICFP's advantage

Commonly, the documentation of project processes itemizes all activities in a step-by-step manner, often predetermined by the project design matrix or project schedule.

The JOICFP approach is to document the stage-by-stage change on behavior dynamics, including pre- and post- project stages so that project effectiveness can be more easily ascertained.

Another aspect of traditional process documentation is to only gather objective, descriptive and action-based information.

JOICFP recognizes the importance of assetizing information for various purposes, including advocacy. Documentation must contain an emotional component, and with information and communication theory, both objective, subjective and descriptive information are important, along with supporting image information such as video and photographic stills.

Atsushi Yoshino, BCC/Advocacy Expert, JOICFP explained that documentation tools, methods of storage, media type and information end users should be considered prior to conducting process documentation.

Yoshino, BCC/Advocacy Expert, JOICFP
taught the importance of "positioning" in documentation

Field Practice

On the second day, the trainees visited Thmar Pich, Kampong Cham Province for field practice. Thmar Pich is one of the model project sites of the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia (RHAC), the implementing agency in Cambodia. The trainees divided into three groups: managers, peer educators, and youth advocates, to gather information on and document a community level activity, particularly an orientation meeting with stakeholders on the Movah! project organized by RHAC.

Each group was set a theme and documented the activity with text and photographs. Managers considered information collection for strategy development of community advocacy; peer educators dealt with STDs of youth; and youth advocates gathered information for an Internet-based ASRH case study.

Interviewing a community stakeholder:
the participants practiced process documentation
of the field activities
at Thmar Pick, Kampong Cham Province

Review of the Field Practice

On the third day, each group compiled the collected information in a text report and selected the 20 best photos taken during the field practice. After each group presented their outcomes, Yoshino reviewed each outcome and added comments to improve them. The trainees learned different styles of text documentation, as well as basic photographic skills for various purposes.

For developing regional advocacy kit
with voices of youth

The final day of the workshop included an orientation for development of a regional advocacy kit. Youth participants reviewed and discussed the draft production outlines of the regional level advocacy kit development and finalized it.

From the four participating countries over the next few months, voices advocating the need for access to appropriate ASRH information and services, and the need for active youth participation in ASRH promotion, as well as photographs of about 100 young people, will be collected by the youth leaders who received the Approduction Training.

The information collated will be made into cards, posters, video clips and other media formats to be used in a variety of ways to advocate to policy makers on ASRH by young people themselves.

Special events

Youth leaders in the Approduction training and other peer educators in Cambodia met with H. E. Dr. Mam Bun Heng, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health, Cambodia, who is a key policy maker for improving ASRH in Cambodia. JOICFP took photographs with Dr. Heng and young representatives as images of policy makers listening to young people. These photographs will be effective advocacy tools for calling for the commitment of policy makers within and outside of the country.

Youth representatives also interviewed him on how he will promote ASRH in Cambodia, and submitted a petition advocating for better ASRH.

Youth participants ask H. E. Dr. Mam Bun Heng
about the commitment of policy makers
in Cambodia to ASRH

In another event, Cambodian peer educators met with the trainees from the Approduction training to exchange information on their activities and make a new network to advocate for ASRH in Asia.