Strengthening access to improved reproductive health services through the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. RAS/98/P64

This project aims to strengthen access to improved reproductive health (RH) services through the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS). Being the implementing agency, the facilities and technical and human resource capacity of BDRCS should be strengthened in order to manage quality RH services, especially clinical family planning and safe motherhood activities. In addition, strengthening of the BDRCS should be done to enhance Red Cross volunteer activities by mobilizing grassroots men and women to raise the demand for family planning and reproductive health services, with assistance from government health workers. To this effect, several strategies are implemented: 1) upgrade two BDRCS hospitals in Sylhet and Banglabazar; 2) provide postnatal counseling for clinical contraceptive by trainee paramedics and nurses; and 3) establish referral linkages with other RH international partners. Target groups include the Sylhet town and old parts of Dhaka City. An outline of the main activities of the project is given.     

Expanding access of low-income women and men to reproductive health services in underserved urban / peri-urban areas. RAS/98/P62

This article outlines the objectives, strategies and main activities adopted by the Marie Stopes Clinic Society in expanding access of low-income women and men to reproductive health (RH) services in underserved urban/periurban areas. The overall objective of the project is to help increase the utilization of family planning and RH services among low-income men and women in the towns of Moulavibazar, Laxmipur, Narsingdi, and Keraniganj in Bangladesh. To achieve this, the strategies being pursued include: 1) establish four clinics in the towns; 2) enhance the capacity to organize RH service delivery and promote RH advocacy through information, education and communication materials and campaigns; and 3) establish linkages with RH international partners, other nongovernmental organizations, government health programs, as well as non-formal practitioners with the community. The main activities are enumerated and discussed.     

Media education to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Cambodia. RAS/98/P10

Through the use of interactive radio and other media, Health Unlimited through its implementing agencies, the Cambodia Health Education Media Services and Cambodia Health Education and Development is working towards increasing knowledge of reproductive and sexual health among Cambodian adolescents. It also seeks to promote the use of reproductive and sexual health services for the youth; improve youth involvement in developing information, education and communication (IEC) materials on reproductive health; and increase the capacity of nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and the private sector to develop IEC for the youth. The strategies being pursued include exploring the role of radio and using nongovernmental organization expertise in radio show production and sharing IEC messages with the media. The main activities being carried include the production of interactive radio magazine programs for the youth along with magazine supplements, training of health and media staff and providing them with work experience, and involving the youth in media production by using an interactive format and focus group discussion.     

ARH in Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville municipalities and Battambang and Kampong Cham provinces). RAS/98/P12

In Cambodia, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, through the Reproductive Health (RH) Association of Cambodia, seeks to help strengthen the national capacity to deliver RH services and high-quality RH information, education and communication (IEC) materials for adolescents in four project areas. It also aims to increase the utilization of RH services by young people aged 12-25 years. Its strategies include providing back-up IEC services and specialist technical inputs to the production of radio shows, and sharing the family life education curriculum as a resource. The main activities of the project consist of: 1) meeting with stakeholders to encourage community participation and carrying out needs assessment; 2) organizing adolescent reproductive health services and providing special clinic facilities; 3) setting up of youth club activities and mobilizing, training and supporting youth volunteers to provide outreach, peer education and referrals to clinic services; and 4) training and disseminating IEC materials.     

Expanding access to quality reproductive health services in underserved outlying districts in Bangladesh. RAS/98/P65

In Bangladesh, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, through the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh, works to increase access to quality reproductive health (RH) care services among low- and medium-income groups in underserved outlying districts. The strategies being pursued are as follows: 1) expand RH services (with special emphasis on long-term methods) through special work units/upgraded clinics and mobile clinics; 2) develop and use information, education and communication materials for information and awareness raising; 3) hold community-based meetings for information dissemination, RH awareness and motivation, and clinical contraception; 4) conduct advocacy campaigns to increase demand for RH services; 5) organize adolescent school-based programs and peer group meetings on awareness raising and RH; 6) strengthen field units/local nongovernmental organizations and community based organizations through training and support; 7) promote inter-linkages with other RH information partners, government agencies and other nongovernmental organizations; and 8) establish a cost recovery process for sustainability. A summary of the main activities of the program is provided.     

Reproductive health through community involvement with special attention to adolescents and clinical contraception. RAS/98/P63

This article outlines the objectives, strategies and main activities of Save the Children Fund/Bangladesh to increase reproductive health (RH) through community involvement with special attention to adolescents and clinical contraception. It is noted that the ways to increase the range of reproductive information and care available to adolescents are being explored, with a view to improving their sexual and RH knowledge and practices, and to increasing clinical contraception use. The following strategies are being implemented: 1) strengthen the capacity of local partners, which include the districts of Khulna, Moulavibazar, Cox's Bazar and Panchagarh; 2) conduct participatory workshops with adolescent groups; 3) promote advocacy for adolescents regarding their needs; 4) develop a platform for adolescent and adolescent-friendly clinics; and 5) promote community-based programs in RH and family planning, especially contraception. A summary of the main program activities of the project is given.     

Youth and adolescent reproductive health umbrella project. RAS/98/P16

This project emphasizes two objectives: 1) establishing a database for the RHI; and 2) facilitating shared training courses and exchange visits between RHI projects. Other objectives are focused on facilitating regular meetings between component projects and the national advisory group, serve as a resource on adolescent reproductive health and the RHI, and develop publicity materials and monitoring mechanisms for the RHI. As its strategy, the project is maximizing collaboration and synergy among the RHI component projects by facilitating linkages and shared activities. Main activities included in the project are: 1) assist in developing monitoring system, establish an ARH database, support nongovernmental organizations, and visit projects; 2) facilitate the development of an information, education, and communication (IEC) strategy, hold training workshops and meetings, and share IEC strategy and messages; 3) exchange ARH information and participate in World Population Day, IWD, and World Aids Day.     

Giving adolescent reproductive health and population issues a world view. Sri Lanka

This article reports on the production of 52 video programs addressing reproductive and sexual health and reproductive rights issues by the Colombo-based Worldview International Foundation. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and relevant NGOs and institutions chose the themes. Following the production, the video programs will be broadcast through Young Asia Television, which covers 18 countries in Asia and reaches over 385 million viewers, and other channels. This advocacy program is under the Television Advocacy Program for Adolescent Reproductive Health and Population Issues project, which complements special strategies under the European Commission/UNFPA Initiative for Reproductive Health in Asia. By promoting the global dissemination of information and education, the Worldview project aims to 1) strengthen young people's participation; 2) advance TV media advocacy; 3) advocate the inclusion of population, gender, sexual and reproductive health issues; 4) provide extended knowledge of adolescent reproductive health to all concerned groups; 5) encourage positive attitudes towards preventive methods among the target groups; 6) promote the importance of incorporating gender perspectives and child abuse issues; and 7) establish close cooperation among organizations at the national, regional and international levels.     

Reducing the vulnerability of young Cambodians to HIV / STDs by mobilising and strengthening local NGO sector. RAS/88/P15

This project seeks to help reduce the vulnerability of young Cambodians aged 12-25 to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by strengthening nongovernmental organization (NGO) capacity to develop sustainable, effective and appropriate responses to HIV/AIDS and STDs. The strategies include strengthening local NGO capacity, sharing technical support concerning HIV/AIDS, and working together to develop information, education and communication on HIV/AIDS. Main activities included in the project are: 1) enable NGOs to undertake broader response to HIV/STDs by mobilizing, selecting, contracting, monitoring and supervising local NGO projects; 2) enhance local NGO capacity to work with the youth by organizing specialist training workshops, providing technical support and training in external relations and sustainability, and promoting local NGO/youth volunteer exchange and exposure programs; 3) strengthen the capacity of local NGOs through training, skill building, technical support and development of NGO support program; and 4) improve the knowledge base of programming for youth by identifying, documenting and disseminating effective programming models and tools.     

Promoting reproductive health practices among working adolescents and young adults (industrial workers). RAS/88/P11

In Cambodia, Care (Deutschland), through the Cambodia Health Education Development (CHED) and the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia, is working towards the promotion of reproductive health (RH) practices among working adolescents and young adults. The project seeks to reach a minimum target group of 10,000 out-of-school, single, working adolescents and young adults aged 12-29 years, and at least 50 trained RH providers and educators in selected project sites. It also aims to provide specialist RH services to at least 200 single adolescents and young adults per month and per newly operational RH facility in project areas; and to build the capacity of at least two partner nongovernmental organizations in adolescent RH services. As its two-part strategy, the project is sharing information, education, and communication (IEC) expertise and using CHED as an informal IEC clearing house. The main activities of the project are outlined.     

Reproductive health for vulnerable children and youth in Cambodia. RAS/98/P14

In Cambodia, Mith Samlanh/Friends, through Pharmaciens Sans Frontier, is developing a project aiming to provide reproductive health (RH) information, education and care among vulnerable urban youth and children in squatter areas, pagodas and streets. The project also seeks to reintegrate vulnerable youth and correct abusive and risky behavior, introduce RH services in vulnerable communities, and to build the capacity of partner nongovernmental organizations in all aspects of the project. As its strategy, it works with vulnerable groups, including commercial sex workers and street children in Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham province, to teach them useful skills. A summary of the main program activities is presented.     

National news. Indonesia. Promoting ARH awareness

Limited availability of IEC materials is hindering efforts to promote adolescent reproductive health in Indonesia. This, in turn, reflects a lack of awareness on the part of policy makers and community leaders about the importance of interventions directed at young people. Two ongoing United Nations Population Fund projects seek to promote awareness of adolescent reproductive health needs in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, West Java, Bali, Lampung, and Riau. A coalition of governmental and nongovernmental agencies has been established to implement the project. By project end in 1999, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations are expected to have incorporated youth-oriented activities into their overall programming and formulated relevant policy guidelines. Another project (Strengthening Strategies to Improve Adolescent Reproductive Health through Materials Development), implemented by the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association, is focusing on the development and distribution of reproductive health materials for specific target audiences.     

Reproductive health for marginalized youth in Phnom Penh and Kratie province. RAS/88/P13

In Phnom Penh and Kratie province, Save the Children Fund/UK, through its implementing agencies (Women's Organizations for Modern Economy and Nursing, Squatters? Urban Poor Federation, Kratie Women?s Welfare Organization), is working to improve knowledge of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among marginalized youth aged 12-25 years. Moreover, the project seeks to increase access to contraceptive methods among young people in selected squatter communities, and to help change adolescent attitudes and behavior, as well as improve their life skills. The strategies being pursued include assessing the training needs of nongovernmental organizations and organizing shared training in reproductive and sexual health, as well as quarterly meetings to enable the sharing of experiences. A summary of the main activities of the project is presented.     

Education and Social Services for Disabled Persons in Spain

DETAILED INFORMATION about education and social services for disabled children and adults, with emphasis on the hearing impaired population is provided. Information is derived from an extensive series of interviews conducted with representatives of government, international agencies, and private sector organizations, as well as health professionals, educators, and disabled persons. A broad discussion of policy and health services follows an overview of demographic and historical background. Spain's leaders recognize the nation's dependence on human resources to affirm its place in the international community and understand that an educated citizenry ensures the preservation of democracy and functions as an instrument for social transformation. These insights have driven major changes in service delivery to the disabled, including a national project for the integration of disabled children into regular classrooms. The National Centre of Resources for Special Education (NCRSE) is responsible for overseeing the national integration project; provision of inservices to teachers and other professionals; development, adaptation and distribution of curricular materials designed to improve the learning process; adaptation of evaluation instruments for students with special educational needs; and promotion of research in the field of special education.     

Using Knowledge: The dilemmas of 'Bridging Research and Policy'

The 'knowledge agenda' has become a central part of development discourse. This paper addresses one aspect of this discourse - the use of policy research in the social sciences - and the dilemmas that have been encountered by both development agencies and researchers in communicating and making use of that research. Development agencies as well as NGOs have initiated work to evaluate and document the effectiveness of research partnerships, knowledge capacity building and (social) science policy impact. As a multilateral initiative, the Global Development Network (GDN), and especially its 'Bridging Research and Policy' project, provides a vehicle to address issues related to research impact. Twelve perspectives on improving research and policy linkages are outlined to reveal that how the problem is defined shapes policy responses. Taken together, these explanations provide a multifaceted picture of the research-policy nexus indicating that there are many possible routes to 'bridging' research and policy. These diverse perspectives will be categorised into three broad categories of explanation: (i) supply-side; (ii) demand-led; and (iii) policy currents. However, knowledge is part of the solution to many development problems but not of itself a panacea.     

School‐to‐work transition services for students with disabilities in Malaysia: organisations' views on policy and practices

Transition services are required by law for students with disabilities in many developed countries. In Malaysia, however, there is still no specific legislation mandating that school‐to‐work transition planning and services be provided to students with disabilities. This study investigated the state of the transition services provided by educational organisations to students with disabilities in Malaysia. A mixed method research design, which utilises both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, was employed to obtain information from 23 government organisations and NGOs involved in the education and training of students with disabilities. This study found that the organisations surveyed were aware of the lack of transition support and call attention to the importance of instituting a national policy on school‐to‐work transition services and supported employment systems for students with disabilities. The legislative and educational implications for Malaysia are discussed.     

Resisting risky sexual activity: SHINE project shows how. Philippines

This article presents the Sexual Health Initiatives through Networking and Education (SHINE), an 18-month project on reproductive health for young adults 13-25 years old by CARE/Philippines. SHINE targets the two most likely places to effectively reach large numbers of youth: the school and the workplace. Completed in December 1999, the project has made significant achievements in increasing the youth's knowledge of important reproductive health issues and enabling them to make informed decisions about their reproductive life. In addition, it has established a referral network of service providers to ensure sustainable access to quality reproductive health services. During its implementation, it addresses cultural constraints in promoting adolescent reproductive health in the Philippines. The SHINE Project encourages the involvement of the youth, school and community through the parents and other concerned organizations/agencies. It enables the youth to increase their knowledge and to focus on values that would guide them in making the right decisions about their reproductive life. Moreover, it provides supporting structures for the young, including youth-friendly medical facilities that offer counseling and medical services.     

Non-govermental organisations self-evaluation: Issue of concern in Nigeria

Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) promote alternative development strategies to those provided by the government. The economic recession being witnessed in developing countries like Nigeria and the poor performance of many government development programmes have made NGOs more relevant than ever. NGOs play an increasingly important role in rural development in particular and societal development in general, for which extension education is one of their policy instruments.

This paper addresses the issue of self-evaluation among non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The impact of NGOs' interventions shows that there is change in living standards, income generation access to infrastructures and also change in literacy levels. This may have either a positive or negative effect upon the lives of the beneficiaries.

In general, self-evaluation is seen to be a non-priority area for three reasons: there is little performance pressure on NGOs, the perspectives available for evaluation do not match the context in which NGOs function and the existing methodologies for evaluation are not appropriate for the evaluation process to become institutionalized within the NGOs. The paper discusses each of these in turn and proposes action to be taken by the NGOs and by those with whom they work, especially the poor donor agencies, etc.. The recommendation, if adopted, should encourage NGOs to engage in more systematic evaluation of their own programmes and, thus, improve their impact and efficiency.     

Education for diversity: the role of networking in resisting disabled people’s marginalisation in Bangladesh

This article examines the role networking has played, at local and national levels, in facilitating communication between key actors involved in challenging the marginalisation of disabled people from education and from wider Bangladeshi society. Efforts to promote awareness of the importance of including disabled children in their local schools have gained ground at national level through a complex web of networking relationships, including government departments concerned with education and social welfare, disability-focused NGOs and mainstream development agencies and networks. The article explores the experience of blind people, (in their role as members of self-help groups linked to Community-Based Rehabilitation programmes in rural areas) in supporting disabled children to access their local school, and in ensuring their safety. Some evidence is provided for the role of networking in challenging marginalising policies, in accessing services (including financial benefits), and in resisting marginalisation. In considering this evidence, the authors debate the different forms and meanings of networking in societies which prioritise collectivity and interdependence, rather than individualism.     

Promotion of adolescent reproductive health and healthy living. Malaysia

This article discusses a 3-year project, "Promotion of Adolescent Reproductive Health and Healthy Living," which was implemented by the Federation of Family Planning Associations, Malaysia. The project seeks to achieve the following: 1) development of a reproductive health of adolescent module (RHAM) for trainers and educators; 2) training of trainers; 3) sharing of adolescent reproductive health experiences in Asian countries; and 4) setting up three service models in Sabah, Selangor, and Terengganu to provide reproductive health (RH) care to adolescents and youth. The first part of the RHAM with the trainer's manual has been finalized and will be tested in a workshop. The second part, a teacher's guide, is under preparation. A series of training on the use of the RHAM will be conducted including a 5-day national workshop, which will be followed by several state level workshops. The three service models being set up have specific orientations. The Sabah model is putting up a youth clinic for adolescents within its clinic network. The Selangor model is developing a Youth Resource Center for training and youth involvement in RH activities. Lastly, the Terengganu family planning association (FPA) has developed a Youth Center web site, which features the history, mission, and activities of the Terengganu FPA.