Following capacity building by JOICFP of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) promoters in 2006, Lisa Asamura, Senior Program Officer, JOICFP, was in Nicaragua from 21st January to 8th February to conduct two workshops as a BCC/IEC expert under the JICA project for strengthening ARH in the Republic of Nicaragua,the Sakura project.

In both the project sites of Boaco and Granada, Asamura conducted four-day workshops for ASRH youth promoters and adult facilitators from all municipalities in the project area.

The workshops were designed to:

Increase integration and collaboration between the ASRH youth promoters and adult facilitators so that ASRH sessions could be better planned and messages more effectively delivered, with a view to sustainability.

Support ASRH youth promoters in drafting action plans for community activities to effectively disseminate information and conduct outreach activities.

Workshops

Recognizing that information alone is not enough to change behavior, the workshops took an "infotainment" approach, focusing on 'head, heart, and hands' i.e. knowledge, conversation between people, and using appropriate IEC tools, respectively.

Topics covered included identifying key ASRH issues, delivering correct information in the youth promoters' own words, and dispelling myths and misconceptions,such as pregnancy cannot result from the first time of sexual intercourse.

Using the Maggie Apron, which can be used in conjunction with the Mochila Educativa, (educational backpack) and simple glove puppets made by the ASRH youth promoters, the participants planned and conducted an ASRH session at the "Maggie Apron Contest", carried out self-evaluation, and developed their plans for community activities.

ASRH promoters from Boaco show the glove puppets
they made to promote ASRH education
with strong messages
and by setting 'situations' familiar to youth...

... and participants from the Granada workshop show theirs

The participants were able to gain team-building skills, learn new RH knowledge, become more professional in delivering RH education, and identify areas that needed improvement.

Furthermore, all the participants from municipalities were able to plug-in what they had learned to existing activities.

ASRH youth promoters in the Boaco workshop explain
how they will use the Maggie Apron together
with the use of Mochila Educativa
when motivating their peers on
how to use contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancies .

Participants in the Granada workshop present a role-play
on the various misconceptions
that exist among peer youth
and the consequences of adolescent pregnancy

Both workshops were covered by the Nicaraguan national television, providing great publicity for the project.