Nghe An Province is actively sharing reproductive health (RH) lessons learned over the last eight years under JICA's "Project for Capacity Building for Dissemination of Community-Based Reproductive Health (RH) Promotion Approach," (October 2006 - October 2009).

Nghe An is supporting RH development in four neighboring provinces; Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh, and in May 2007 its Reproductive Health Center (RHC) organized the second five-day training-of-trainers for 24 participants from these provinces.

Incorporating the key elements of Nghe An's experience, the participants formulated plans for

• Retraining on RH services for Commune Health Center staff, and
• Training on supportive monitoring methods of RH services for district level supervisors.

The training was organized in the four provinces in July and August 2007.

During May and June, Sawako Takeda, a JICA RH expert and midwife of Katsushika Red Cross Hospital, provided technical support to Nghe An and the four provinces.

Together with Nghe An RHC Center staff,
Takeda (left) demonstrates how to use
a training model for delivery care
to the participants of a study visit

Takeda visited the provinces with midwife Nguyen Thi Hoa and Nghe An RHC staff, and organized sessions on parents' classes and client friendly services. She also guided Nghe An RHC to formulate programs for study visits by the four provinces.

In June, Nghe An organized a study visit for 40 health staff to demonstrate how the RHC provides services.

The members of the Women's Union (WU) from the adjoining provinces are also beneficiaries of the project.

In May, Lisa Asamura, Program Manager, JOICFP, and IEC/BCC expert, organized a workshop for 28 WU members and RHC staff from the provinces on the effective utilization of the Maggie Apron, a RH education kit.

The participants not only learned how to use the kit, but also formulated a training plan for other WU members at district and commune level in their own provinces.

Working in groups, the participants
formulate a training plan
for the Maggie Apron workshop
in each province

Asamura also trained ten staff from Nghe An WU and RHC to be local experts/facilitators for a Maggie Apron Workshop with on-the-job-training.

These staff then organized another Maggie Apron Workshop for 24 participants from the four provinces by themselves.

Participants try on the Maggie Apron
and practice using it during the workshop

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health has become a regular issue among Vietnamese health sector personnel and the WU.

During the Maggie Apron Workshop, it was found that all the provinces considered ASRH an important aspect to address since the number of unwanted pregnancies among unmarried youth is increasing, along with abortion.

The health sector and the Women's Union already actively conduct health education for adolescents, and disseminate RH knowledge among youths, such as the mechanisms of menstruation and pregnancy, and contraception.