Expansion Planned on Success of UNFPA Myanmar Project (JOICFP eNEWS Feb, 2007 ) Under the UNFPA Special Program of Assistance to Myanmar, JOICFP executed the first cycle of the component project “Information and Education for Behavior Change” from 2002 to 2006. This project featured two modalities to reach the community, namely through the Community Support Group (CSG) volunteers, and Youth Information Corner (YIC) volunteers. Coverage expanded to a total of 27 Townships, from the initial two, covering approximately over five million people. Currently, there are around 30,000 CSG volunteers and over 1,000 YIC volunteers active in the project sites. >>More

Background & Issues
Human beings are creatures judging their behavior between the individual desire and the social criteria at all the times. They have difficulty in adopting new behavior at times, especially when they are habitual or when the behaviors are personal. In this regards, improving sexual and reproductive health (RH) status proves to be challenging, as it is deeply related to the individual judgment in their private lives. RH interventions that provide quality services and useful information to potential clients cannot be truly successful, unless services are actually utilized by community people and individuals adopt new behavior. Therefore, interventions become urgently necessary which can link RH services to the community people themselves. For this purpose, use of effective behavior change communication interventions will take a roll of adhesiveness between RH services and individuals in the community. In addition to the provision of knowledge in order to raise awareness, there must be motivational interactions that move the individual. Furthermore, action within the community to create an enabling environment in support of the desired behavior change is imperative.

JOICFP Strategy & Goal
One of the longest experiences of JOICFP is taken root in the educational strategy since its inception, starting with the use of “parasite control” as an entry point into the community to create motivation on family planning. Over the years, JOICFP has tested various approaches that emphasize on supportive environment building to meet the individual desire. In recent years, above experience is reinforced by progressive theory on information and communication. It will increase “options” for the individuals to make choices and will help to “pull” their necessary information on their adoption of new behavior instead of imposing information through a one-way channel. This will create ownership of the decision, leading to a sustained behavior change. With the above as a backbone, JOICFP promotes “Change!” which develops effective strategies to bring forth behavior change among target individuals and to create an enabling environment.