The Eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) was held in Sri Lanka from 19th to 23rd August. JOICFP participated as an expert in behavior change communication (BCC) technology at UNFPA’s request.

In a Skills Building Workshop organized by UNFPA CST Kathmandu, in a session entitled Building Life Skills in Young People - Empowering to Negotiate, JOICFP explained basic concepts of message creation for behavior change.

These included identifying the communication objective, information sender, receiver, route and obstacles, highlighting, for example, that obstacles are more than physical barriers, such as lack of electricity, but also include cultural and psychological ones.

Creating message options
during the skills building workshop

Around 60 people attended the workshop, including about 40 young people as well as project managers, who practiced developing and drafting messages to tackle already identified adolescent reproductive health problems.

The participants highly evaluated the JOICFP session for its simple practicality and ease of understanding.

For three days, JOICFP held a booth where it explained its BCC technology in an interactive exhibit showing communication skills and tools such as the picture theater, youth advocacy tool kit, and JOICFP’s Communication Strategy Power Models.

JOICFP explains its BCC and community-operated
approach to young delegates at the congress

JOICFP also participated in a Japan booth run by the Government of Japan, giving a demonstration of the picture theater used in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

All of JOICFP’s presentations were highly rated by participants, and JOICFP received many requests to share its BCC technology and skills around Asia.

ICAAP also provided JOICFP with a good opportunity to learn about the latest trends in HIV/AIDS in Asia, display its skills, and meet new potential partners.

At the Japanese Government booth;
delivering the picture drama on HIV/AIDS