A Seminar on the "Reproductive Health (RH) Project in Nghe An Province" was held by JICA on 15th February. The Seminar shared lessons from the RH Project as one of the most successful cases of GO-NGO (JICA-JOICFP) partnership.

Over 100 experts, scholars and students concerned with international cooperation, especially in the field of health, attended.

JICA's RH Project in Nghe An prioritized delivering quality RH services to community women, and has been noted for its contribution to achieving the MDGs with regard to human security.

Dr. Nguyen Ba Tan, Director, RH Care Center (formerly MCH/FP Center), Nghe An, who was responsible for Vietnamese project management, introduced some outstanding activities that have been sustained after the project in order to maintain and promote the quality of RH services in the province.

Jane Hughes, Country Representative, and Dr. Vu Quy Nhan, Director of Research, Population Council, Vietnam, both spoke on the advantages of JICA's technical cooperation, which emphasized human resource and capacity development with a long perspective to ensure sustainable development in approaching the issues concerned with national public good.

The four speakers (from left), Dr. Tan, Dr. Nhan,
Hughes, and Katsube

The Population Council conducted a baseline survey, and midterm and final assessments of the RH project as an independent, external evaluator, and its objective results have given validity to the project's achievements.

Mayumi Katsube, JOICFP, who worked as team leader of the project, highlighted the comprehensive field-oriented approach toward making a model for RH promotion, e.g. strongly focusing on the grassroots, establishing close networks of community-based organizations, involving concerned parties from the national to commune levels, and strengthening the existing system and human resources, etc.

The speakers also mentioned that the entire process of the project had been an important part of the successful implementation and sustainability.

The audience comprised a wide age range,
showing broad interest in the issues
of international cooperation and health