An Advocacy Meeting on Volunteer Peer Leader Recruitment at Adolescent Friendly Health Center has been arranged on May 25, 2021 at Conference Room of the Director (MCH services) and Line Director (MCRAH) with the presences of Director (MCH) and LD (MCRAH), Directorate General of Family Planning- Dr. Mohammed Sharif and other DGFP high officials, where shukhi jibon team members and SERAC team members were present there. The goal of the meeting The goal of the meeting was to recruit 2volunteers (1boy and 1girl) in each of the 20 adolescent friendly health centers designated in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Netrokona and by conducting Adolescent friendly reproductive health awareness campaigns such as community mobilization campaigns and school campaigns in the nearest designated centers and schools.
SM Shaikat
A nice introduction of the project and warm welcome to all officials was added in the beginning of the meeting. A propose to appoint VPLs to the Adolescent Friendly Health Service Centers to create a friendly environment with a support by DGFP. The VPLs will also help to generate demands of these centers among the adolescents through organizing a total 800 community level adolescent mobilization campaigns and school based connectivity outreaches. This will inform parents, adolescents and other community stakeholders about the services available at the AFHS Centers. VPLs will work as an additional support to the staff of these centers.
Dr. Nurun Naher
The age difference of the adolescents and youths should be considered while recruiting the volunteer peer leaders and also the VPLs should be specified about the benefits about that they get. The project should also focus on building capacity of the community through Foundation Training and by arranging campaigns in schools and colleges. A monthly format should be created to document and monitor the experiences and progress of the volunteer peer leaders. A supporting hand from DGFP will provide ensuring the standard health services for adolescents.
Dr. Abu Jamil Faisal
Volunteer peer leaders can share information on Neonatal danger signs, Antenatal and Postnatal care, EPI through these campaigns which will help to increase their knowledge on MCH and Family Planning and create more job opportunities for them in this sector. VPLs can also share information in every union through the campaigns and also can document their experiences and stories as articles, blogs or write-up. As the whole world is depending on the technology, the VPLs should get connected with the union IT institute so that they can also connect adolescents in the centers more effectively.
Dr. Md. Monjur Hossain
A multi-tasking capacity development should be developed through the VPLs life-skill based education campaigns. Raising awareness among guardians and communities about the adolescents’ reproductive health issues also take in priority list for ensuring and promoting reproductive health services.
Sohrab Hussain
Proper documentation of the activities should be done on time to understand the progress of the centers and community mobilization as well as promoting DGFP hotline numbers through campaigns, social media platforms and in other possible ways. The initiative should also be tech based to make faster evaluation of the centers. In that case, multiple gateways along with their harmonization is needed to understand the better coordination among the DGFP officials, service providers and VPLs.
Dr. Jaynal Haque
An orientation meeting should be arranged with the Upazila and District officers, DGFP officials and the VPLs. Increasing the coverage of the services should be prioritized and strategies should be established to keep the volunteers engaged for a long time after the donor funding ceased. Before starting the program a letter should be submitted to the DGFP. The DGFP officials should be included in the monitoring and supervision of the activities performed by the volunteer peer leaders.
Tasnia Ahmed
A good feedback about services of the AFHS Centers was added, such as the service providers do follow up with the adolescents after providing services. But it is not always possible to maintain this follow up procedure in one hand with every adolescent’s visitor. The appointed VPLs can assist the service providers in this case. They will maintain the follow up sessions and encourage the adolescents to visit the centers continuously.
Dr. Mohammed Sharif
He chaired the meeting. It is important to engage the community and schools. The Monitoring of the volunteers must be performed properly. It is also necessary to ensure the sitting arrangements for the Volunteer peer leaders at the centers. End of the meeting, he ensured to support SERAC-Bangladesh to coordinate this, so a formal letter with requirements has to be submitted to the Directorate General of Family Planning.
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