SRH project for plantation community concludes successfully
After 30 months of implementation, the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) project in the Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces co-funded by Agence Française de Developpement (French Agency for Development, AFD) and Medecins du Mondefrance (MDM-F) had concluded successfully.
Multiple stakeholders involving civil society groups -communitybased, local and international organizations, teachers and principals, parliamentarians, media, public health and education workers, government authorities, academics, volunteers, AFD Country Director and staff gathered on 27th October 2018 at the Oak Ray Regency Hotel, Kandy to formally close the SRH project implemented by Human Development Organization (HDO).
The implementation of the project was based on the exploratory mission conducted in Sri Lanka in 2013 which found out the following SRH problems that needed to be addressed: inadequate and incomplete information on SRH particularly for youth and unmarried couples (widows, divorced or separated women or teenage girls); lack of access to family planning (services only preferred for married couples); and lack of information and services for victims of Gender-based Violence (GBV).
Thus, the SRH project which aimed to improve the level of awareness forthe plantation community on Sexual and Reproductive Health and to improve service accessibility and availability with specific focus on women and youth was initiated by MDM in 2016 with HDOAS the local implementing partner. The overall goal of the project was to reduce morbidity/mortality linked with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), unwanted/early pregnancies and gender-based violence in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Kegalle districts of Sri Lanka.
Despite challenges and obstacles in implementing a sensitive project like SRH, it has successfully produced a range of outputs. 261 monthly joint visits were conducted to 20 estate communities where health workers as well as Development Officer, Women Officer, Child Rights Officer of the Divisional Secretariats and Police Women Desk Officers came to the estate communities to provide health and social services to the plantation people.
The project also conducted 282 awareness sessions on Srhwherein 850 young people and 1 228 community members in 20 estates from 43 divisions attended.within the Women’s and Youth groups, sessions were conducted regularly to raise awareness and encourage discussion on unwanted pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, STI-HIV/AIDS, unsafe abortions, and gender-based violence.
Capacity-building activities were conducted where 124 teachers and education officers were trained on SRH along with 70 Officers from Divisional Secretariats (Divisional Secretariat, Field officers, Grama Niladaries, Development Officers, Women & Child Officers), MOH officers/workers and Community Development Officers (CDOS).
On Gender-based violence, all HDO staff and volunteers received training on SRH and on Non-communicable Diseases and STI, HIV/AIDS, Advocacy and Cyber Exploitation and Genderbased Violence. A referral of 6767 community members to health facilities and other government offices to receive services was done. SRH information was provided to 3587 community members via community volunteers.
A Desk Review on the Status of Health in the Plantation Sector was also conducted where the book entitled “Policy Review on the Status of Health in the Plantation Sector”was published in three languages (English, Tamil and Sinhala). Another book in English containing case studies from estate communities sharing their experiences related to Sexual and Reproductive Health was also published.
A roundtable discussion and national consultation in Colombo was initiated where it was attended by civil society, parliamentarians, government authorities, academia, plantation stakeholders, private sector, community-based organizations and plantation community members to strengthen the dialogue and connect stakeholders to enable the integration of the plantation health structure into the national health system, to follow up on what each stakeholder does to push this agenda forward in their respective organizations after the round table discussion, to develop a roadmap along with defined roles and responsibilities of main stakeholders for future advocacy efforts, and to elevate discussions concerning the integration of the plantation health structure in the national forum and gather support of national actors.
Regional advocacy meetings, estate level advocacy meetings and grassroot advocacy meetings to discuss and inform stakeholders of the plantation sector regarding the estate health system integration into the national system were conducted. Media has also been an influential part in ensuring that awareness was spread to target estates and beyond.