For nine years, JOICFP has been entrusted by JICA to conduct Reproductive Health (RH) Workshops for senior NGO officers.

From 14th August to 11th September, the second workshop in a new series was held in Tokyo, Kochi prefecture and Indonesia for 12 participants from 12 countries.

The workshop’s objectives were to give participants an understanding of:

1. Strategies to ensure program effectiveness
2. Methods to enhance financial security
3. Strategies to improve organizational viability

In addition, participants were to develop country action plans based on workshop experience.

In lectures in Tokyo, the participants learned how the Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA) owes some of its success to charging for services, developing a nationwide collaborative NGO network, and producing and marketing high-quality information education and communication (IEC) materials.

This has led to sustainable RH promotion, gaining income, and an effective advocacy strategy for RH promotion.

From JOICFP, the workshop members were shown how the ATOMM approach ensured program effectiveness and enhanced financial security, and how human resource development in Vietnam for community-based projects had improved organizational viability.

Participants learn to explain reproductive
health with the Maggie Apron visual aid

A visit to the Hoken Kaikan health group gave a clear illustration of using health care, in this case parasite control, as an entry point into other preventive health services on a fee-charging basis.

Collaboration between GOs and NGOs has been a core element of successful health care in Japan.

In Kochi prefecture, the participants met with representatives of the Kochi prefectural government and learned about outreach activities of public health nurses and how they have contributed to RH promotion in the community.

The participants also observed the use by local governments of IEC materials produced by JFPA and how people who have been promoting maternal and child health (MCH) and adolescent sexual reproductive health (ASRH) on the front lines, such as public health nurses, had their background in JFPA’s fee-charged seminars.

These seminars showed good practices of GO-NGO collaboration that made possible JFPA’s program effectiveness and financial security.

Learning from the experience
of a public health nurse in Koichi

In Shimanto-city, the workshop members observed local initiatives, supported by the local government in promoting MCH activities. A community volunteer group, “Hot Pocket,” runs MCH classes for mothers with infants and gives tips in child-rearing so as to relieve mothers of anxieties.

These activities impressed the visitors, who were motivated to adopt ideas for their own action plans.

An adolescent center in Kochi also provided applicable ideas on creating youth friendly environment and relationships between youths and a center counselor, as well as IEC materials and tools to attract adolescents such as an anonymous question box.

These efforts were seen as being important in encouraging participation by young people.

Yayasan Kusuma Buana (YKB) is an NGO that has been independently operating since 1981.

Through its clinics, YKB works with the local community, schools and the private sector, delivering high quality, low-cost health care.

YKB’s Pisangbaru Clinic assists local public health clinics with health checks and community programs.

YKB uses parasite and anemia control as an entry point in school health care, extending the service to parents, and provides pap-smear tests for teachers.

An anemia control class for school children in Indonesia

In addition, the NGO provides health care through insurance to workers in a major garment factory, and runs a clinic near a large tire factory, providing health advocacy and education, including for people in the surrounding community.

YKB runs a well-equipped modern laboratory for parasite control etc., as well as delivering training for various international organizations in Indonesia.

The workshop participants could see how YKB had adopted and translated lessons from Japan for successful use in Indonesia.

Taking part in a mass stool examination
at a parasite control clinic in Indonesia

The participants developed plans with applicable lessons that could be integrated with existing activities, considering factors such as strategies, time frame, location, evaluation and sustainability.

Through JICA Net, they delivered these country plans at JICA Indonesia to JICA Tokyo, in one case (Kyrgyzstan Click here to view PDF file. ) showing how lessons from the previous seminar had been successfully incorporated into existing activities.

All the participants are expected to deliver follow-up reports in six months to JICA and JOICFP.