During preparations for the second UNFPA-supported Latin America regional ASRH project meeting, Kaori Miyachi, Assistant Program Officer, JOICFP, visited a project site in Esteli City, Esteli District, Nicaragua.

Representatives from Esteli had attended the first regional workshop in Mexico in May 2006, and successfully applied what they had learned.

New members for peer education in Esteli

On visiting Esteli in April 2007, Miyachi found that not only had knowledge from the workshop been applied successfully, but also it had spread to outside the project area.

Santa Cruz is a town near the center of Esteli, and youths from there have been attracted to Esteli with its Casa de Adolescente (youth house) and youth-friendly activities.

Making music that carries the messages of adolescent reproductive health has proved especially popular, both for performers and audiences.

It is very encouraging that young people have taken what they have learned and disseminated it to their peers outside the project area on their own initiative.

Learning to make music is a popular activity