On 7th June, the Community-oriented Reproductive Health Project in Myanmar, conducted in partnership by the Department of Health (DOH), Ministry of Health (MOH) Myanmar, JICA and JOICFP was launched in Yangon. Over 100 participants attended, such as key personnel from MOH, donor agencies, including UN, international and local NGOs, the Japanese ambassador, Japanese experts, JICA representatives, and 25 project site representatives from the State Health Department, Naungcho and Kyaukme townships, Northern Shan State.

The five-year project targets women of reproductive age and aims to increase use of RH services, and to identify best practices for application to other RH programs in the country.

Participants look on during the inaugural ceremonie

Opening speeches

In an inaugural address HE Professor Kyaw Myint, Minister of Health, spoke of Myanmar's efforts to promote RH, especially with regard to reducing infant and maternal mortality and increasing access to safe motherhood services, in line with the ICPD Program of Action and the UN MDGs.

He stressed government support for the project, emphasizing its desire to work in partnership with other agencies, and that RH policy had been mainstreamed into regular health activities.

HE Minister Prof. Kyaw Myint encourages the participants

Makoto Yamashita, Deputy Residential Representative, JICA Myanmar, welcomed the commitment by the government, and highlighted the special features of the project for JICA. First, he said, the community people were the resource as well as the beneficiaries. Second, he pointed out the joint implementation among the DOH, JOICFP and JICA, acknowledging the comparative advantage each organization possessed. Third, he mentioned that UNFPA will be asked to collaborate as a partner under its country program, and finally, Yamashita spoke about the activities to be taken at all levels to keep motivation high and integrate community activities with the central level.

JOICFP's ED

In a keynote address, Sumie Ishii, Executive Director, JOICFP, thanked the Myanmar government for its support of the project and of RH in general, and highlighted the importance of the collaboration among all the agencies, under the new GO-NGO partnership of JICA and JOICFP

Ishii also pointed out that the project was benefiting from information gathered in Japan on the Japanese experience in improving maternal and child health, and in Vietnam from the RH Project with JICA assistance.

Ishii delivering her keynote address at the project launch

Presentation

Following the launching ceremony, about 60 people, including the project site representatives, attended a presentation with a questions and answers session. Ryoko Nishida, Director, International Program, JOICFP, spoke on lessons learned from Japan's post-WWII experience in community-based health promotion, emphasizing the importance of community empowerment, collaboration among GOs, NGOs and experts, using existing community networks, intensive education and training of leaders, effective BCC, and sustainability.

She was followed by Dr. Sann Shway Wynn, Director (Public Health), DOH, who outlined the current RH situation in the project areas in Northern Shan State, highlighting shortcomings in RH service, knowledge and management capacity, and how the project would take steps to address such challenges. Key elements learned from the Study Visit to Japan and Vietnam's experiences were also shared.

Field visit

Ishii made a visit to Pyin Oo Lwin and Singaing Townships to see UNFPA projects sites where she observed the health facilities and met with the basic health staff, and exchanged information with youth volunteers and community support group members, resepctively. Ishii noted that good cooperation among UNFPA, Myanmar authorities and JOICFP was an important factor in the success of the project, and that this had laid the foundations for the new project that had just been launched.

Ishii meets with female health volunteers
in Singaing Township