The urban population of
Asia
will double in less than a generation and the fastest growth will be in the poorer urban areas. The urban poor have higher fertility rates than other urbanites: women have less education and less autonomy; they know little about sexual and reproductive health services, and have little access to them. Many young women leave their villages to avoid marrying young or dropping out of school early. But pervasive gender discrimination in urban slums puts them at risk of sexual exploitation and violence. Having no knowledge or power to protect themselves, and poor health services, they are at increased risk of unwanted pregnancy and childbirth without skilled care. They may have to turn to transactional sex work to survive. The creation of safe spaces for adolescent girls and young women can help turn urban life into a positive experience through which they may find autonomy, access to resources, and self-control. To that end, we need to support young people’s ability to exercise their right to health, including sexual and reproductive health, so they can stay healthy and free of sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV infection; avoid early pregnancy, postpone starting their families until they are ready, and have their children safely. (See more information on strategies to create safe spaces for young people in a latest report by UNFPA, named, State of the World Population 2007, available at: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/ )
Research Summary: A research paper titled Learning by Inquiry: Sexual and Reproductive Health Field Experiences from CARE in Asia shares the experience of applying different approaches to learning by inquiry in case studies from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh. It also describes the use of a qualitative approach to monitoring and evaluation called Most Significant Changes. The method enables the selection of stories that capture changes in the lives of beneficiaries, their colleagues and in the character of their participation, as well as a range of other participants and stakeholders. To this paper, reflective learning is an ongoing process in which participants in a situation (e.g. staff members implementing a project, take time to examine their experiences, to reflect on those experiences, to think how things might be different, to think through these possibilities and to try out what seems to be the best option. Participants start by identifying their own experience reflecting on What? Why? When? Where? and How. They think about how they could change the experience for the better. They respond to this reflection by making changes. With changes in place, participants re-examine the experience, reflecting again, changing, experiencing, reflecting, changing, etc. This process is often described as a reflective (or experiential) learning cycle, and should be an ongoing process. (Read the full text of the paper at: http://www.care.org/careswork/whatwedo/health/downloads/20050906_learningbyinquiry.pdf )
Resources: The latest issue of the IPPF Medical Bulletin, Vol. 41, No. 02, June 2007 includes articles such as ‘New IMAP Statement on Male Circumcision and HIV’, ‘Access to Emergency Contraception’ etc. ( Available at:
http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Medical/ )
News: Under legislation passed by the US Congress on 22nd June 2007, life saving contraceptives donated by USAID will be able to be shipped to developing countries with an unmet need for family planning. This act of exempting contraceptive supplies from Global Gag Rule is being hailed as a victory for women and their families by the IPPF and family planning groups around the world. (For further information, please contact Paul Bell, pbell@ippf.org )
Events: IPPF SARO has conducted a ToT on Male Involvement in SRHR from 27 to 28 June 2007 at Delhi for its member associations in the south Asia region, with the help of a manual on the same theme developed by SARO. (For details write to: acapila@ippfsar.org )
Please send your feedback/information etc. to access@ippfsar.org
IPPF SARO Team