On 4th and 5th April, JOICFP in collaboration with the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia (RHAC) organized a workshop to develop an advocacy action plan in the community for the Movah! project in Cambodia, in Phnom Penh.

In 2005, RHAC carried out a situation study to identify areas for Movah! to target. Seven areas and gaps were determined, and RHAC prioritized two of them; reducing socio-cultural barriers toward ASRH, and the necessity of multi-sectoral collaboration to advance ASRH policies.

Representatives from Youth Initiator Groups (YIG) and Community Advocacy Support Teams (CAST) from the two model project sites of Thomar Pich Commune, and Rokar Popram Commune in Kampong Cham Province analyzed the specific advocacy issues in the community, identified objectives, and drafted a key advocacy message, strategy, activities, and monitoring indicators.

Both YIG and CAST will encourage local authorities to participate in and encourage parents to allow their children, especially girls, to receive ASRH information in the program.

Workshop feedback

The CAST participants reported that the workshop had given them a much clearer view of advocacy, how to facilitate discussion, and effectively deliver advocacy, as well as increase people's capacity to gain more support for issues in the village.

YIG said that they were now more able to formulate advocacy activities, and that they recognized the difference from IEC. Furthermore, they were much clearer about the problems that need to be solved through gathering young people and target audiences to support the Movah! advocacy program.

In this role-play, YIG members attempt to persuade
commune council members,
and village development committees,
played by CAST, about the benefits of ASRH education