JICA's new project in Vietnam (October 2006 - October 2009), "Project for Capacity Building for Dissemination of Community-Based Reproductive Health (RH) Promotion Approach," has been launched, and JOICFP, having been entrusted by JICA to implement the project activities for the three years, dispatched staff as project experts in December 2006.

The project was developed as a follow-up of the RH Project implemented in Nghe An Province in Vietnam in two phases (1997 - 2000 and 2000 - 2005). The new project aims to disseminate successful experiences and know-how accumulated in Nghe An Province in promoting quality RH services at the commune level to the neighboring four provinces, i.e. Ha Ham, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh Provinces. A total of 12 districts and 48 communes have been selected as the project areas there.

Sumie Ishii (left), Executive Director of JOICFP,
and Team Leader of the new JICA project,
visited communes in all four provinces and discussed
with the people concerned the RH situation of women
in the area and the services provide at the commune level.

On 21st December, 2006, the first meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee, the decision making body for the project, headed by Dr. Nguyen Dinh Loan, the Director General of the RH Department of Ministry of Health, was organized. The participants were Hiroaki Nakagawa, Resident Representative of JICA Vietnam Office, representatives of the International Cooperation Department, MOH, Science and Training Department of MOH, Directors of the Provincial Health Department and RH Care Center of the five provinces, including Nghe An Province. At the meeting, the overall activity plan for the project was discussed and approved.

Dr. Loan and Nakagawa
at the signing of the meeting minutes
for the first Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting