From 14th to 16th March, the Japan Overseas Cooperative Association (JOCA) held a three-day special training on community health for Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), entrusted by JICA. Ryoichi Suzuki, Deputy Executive Director, JOICFP, was invited to speak as a resource person on reproductive health.

Addressing 26 nurses, midwives, and public health nurses who will be dispatched to Africa, Asia and Latin America under Japan's overseas development assistance, Suzuki highlighted four main points:

In areas such as safe motherhood, adolescent sexual reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and male involvement, consider how your activities will directly benefit the individual, in cooperation with local government, community organizations and NGOs.

Take a multi-sector approach. Health, education and economic activity must be considered in an integrated way for women's empowerment.

Participation of all people is important when considering community empowerment. Everyone has something to offer, whether they are young, old, male, female, married or unmarried.

If properly conducted, community empowerment has a lot to offer the national level, and good practices and lessons learned at the community level can be reflected in national policies and programs.

Suzuki also mentioned Japan's experience in community-based health promotion, and reminded the JOCVs of the pioneering spirit of Shidzue Kato and Margaret Sanger, who perservered in the face of great adversity.

Suzuki told the volunteers that they too were pioneers when they went overseas and to remember this.