For seven years, JOICFP has been conducting ASRH seminars for JICA, focusing on the benefits of community-based initiatives and collaboration between GOs, NGOs and other concerned parties.

From 23rd May to 15th June, JOICFP conducted a JICA Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) workshop, "Strengthening Strategy for a Youth-Friendly Environment and Partnership Development," for 12 GO and NGO participants from Afghanistan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Nicaragua, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

In addition to lectures and observations, the workshop emphasized the practicalities of ASRH, focusing on acquiring effective skills and approaches, including those on:

Youth involvement
Peer education
Sex education
Behavior Change Communication
Youth-friendly services
Communication skills

Tochigi Prefecture

For more than 20 years, Tochigi Prefecture has stressed the importance of GO-NGO collaboration in delivering effective ASRH programs and services, and the local health department, education board, hospitals and schools work together with NGOs.

Meeting with "Toshiken" (Tochigi Society on Adolescent Health) and health experts, the workshop participants realized that in addition to close collaboration, active and effective key personnel were needed to successfully implement policy, and, therefore, strong NGOs were needed to deliver effective health services to communities.

An example of effective collaboration was seen in a health education class on HIV in a primary school, carried out by team teaching between a room teacher and school nurse teacher.

The seminar participants at Tochigi Prefectural Office

IEC for BCC

An essential skill in approaching young people is using IEC (information, education and communication) materials towards BCC (behavior change communication).

To this end, JOICFP gave a lesson on use of the Maggie Apron, and an HIV/AIDS education expert provided a workshop on utilizing glove puppets in a youth-friendly education drama.

Photo of IEC/BCC Maggie or glove puppets

After learning how to use these (IEC) tools, the trainees developed a short drama using them, and delivered a demonstration session on condom use to peer educators at a medical university, who then gave critical feedback.

Photo of demonstration lesson

The demonstration was a good opportunity to practice what they had learned, and to see how to improve BCC delivery to adolescents.

The seminar participants also met with Kyoko Kitazawa, a pioneer of sex education in Japan. Kitazawa emphasizes starting sex education at an early age in order to be able to live a healthy life, and also to avoid sexual abuse.

Kitazawa demonstrated a participatory sex education session for young children using her original sex education tools.

Photo of Kitazawa’s Session

Creating a youth-friendly environment

Doortje Braeken, Senior Advisor Adolescents/Young People, IPPF, gave a four-day workshop, and conducted many participatory exercises to strengthen the participants' awareness of:

Sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people
Understanding and delivering youth and adult partnership
Effective management of youth programs

As a result, the workshop members were able to much better understand communication difficulties between adults and youth, as well as young people's real ASRH concerns.

Photo with Doortje

On the final day of her workshop, the participants had a joint session with Japanese youths. After discussing the challenges of ASRH issues, such as abortion, abstinence, and obstacles in youth-adult partnership, they developed tips on promoting a youth-friendly environment.

Action Plans

In country pairs, the participants drafted action plans to dovetail with existing programs, including GO-NGO collaboration where possible,

Highlights included:

Strengthening adult-youth participation in peer education
Collaboration between school nurse teacher and public health center
Sensitizing potential GO/NGO partners for future collaboration

Click here for an example of an action plan from Bolivia

Photo making action plans

The workshop finished with a visit to JICA where, using JICA's communication system, the participants spoke with a Bolivian member of the 2006 workshop.

The participant in Bolivia explained how her action plan had been implemented on a limited budget, highlighting the successful interventions and lessons learned.

All of the participants very highly evaluated the workshop, and even though they often worked at weekends and late into the night, indicated they would have liked the workshop to be longer.