On 17th December 2004, Ryoichi Suzuki, Deputy Executive Director, JOICFP, addressed 14 Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) who are scheduled to be dispatched to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in March 2005.

Suzuki spoke on formulation and practice of RH programs, highlighting his points with data on the status of women in the world from the UNFPA State of World Population 2004 report.

He reminded the volunteers that 529,000 women a year die of pregnancy and delivery related causes, there are 45 million induced abortions, with 19 million of them being unsafe leading to 750,000 deaths a year.

Furthermore, 350 million couples do not have access to suitable contraception, and 14 million adolescents become pregnant annually.

As well as this, five million people a year are infected with HIV, a disproportionate number being women, and it is estimated that there are 13 million 'AIDS orphans' at present.

Suzuki asked the volunteers to take responsibility to identify the situation of women in the area to which they were dispatched, and to create projects based on the real needs of the women.

Three components

Suzuki stressed that in constructing a project, three components needed to be integrated: education, such as literacy; health, including reproductive health; and, income generating activities through, for example, micro-credit. In this way women's empowerment will be promoted.

He also told them that adolescent sexual and reproductive health was now becoming a critical component in global health activities.

He explained that JOICFP took the approach that "an issue for one person was an issue for the whole community" and that community mobilization was the key to solving the health concerns of individuals.

Pioneering spirit

Introducing the pioneering spirit of Shidzue Kato and Margaret Sanger, Suzuki told the JOCV that they, too, were pioneers introducing new concepts into project areas. He encouraged them to work for the real needs of the community, as well as for their own dignity.