FP/RH Program Spotlight
Jhpiego partners with American Refugee Committee in earthquake-stricken area of Pakistan
In partnership with the American Refugee Committee International (ARC),
Jhpiego implemented a pilot project for reproductive health providers working in ARC
camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Bagh, Pakistan, an area stricken
by the October 2005 earthquake. Our focus in this project was updating health care
providers to deliver high-quality reproductive health services as well as to begin
training other providers in relevant skills.
Reproductive health care is often overlooked in refugee and conflict
settings, but women and couples are often in dire need of services in these situations.
This was not our first experience in a disaster or emergency setting. Jhpiego is currently
working to rebuild midwifery services in the Aceh province of Indonesia, which was
devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, and also has an extensive maternal and neonatal
health program in Afghanistan.
We originally planned a two-day technical update and a four-day clinical
training skills course, but once our trainers were on the ground in Bagh they modified
the schedule to offer a three-day technical update and a three-day clinical training skills
course to better meet the needs of the 11 participants.
The technical update included
family planning, infection prevention and emergency obstetric care. The clinical
training skills course focused on building coaching and presentation skills, using
flipcharts because multimedia equipment is not readily available in relief situations.
The trainers created simple, laminated job aids on infection prevention practices that
the participants could use while providing care, and distributed a variety of reference
manuals, screening checklists and other materials that the participants could use to
build their knowledge and skills.
Training in the IDP camp afforded Jhpiego trainers the opportunity to:
- Work with local staff who had been displaced from their
hospitals or clinics as a result of the earthquake
- Increase morale among these displaced health care providers
- Make available the latest guidelines and practices
in an area without access to regular updates or computers
- Build the knowledge and skills of the local providers
Some of the challenges in conducting training at the IDP camp included:
- Obtaining staff available for a six-day training
- Interruptions from clients
- Medical emergencies
- Lack of multimedia capability
- Overall lack of space
- Lack of a space designated specifically for training
Despite the challenges, the training was a success. On their course evaluation
forms, the participants gave high ratings to all components of the technical update
and the training skills sessions. The key ingredients to making this pilot project a
success were:
- Strong logistics: ARC provided adequate water and food,
other supplies, transportation and accommodations.
- The camp was moving from the emergency phase into the
rehabilitation phase, so some of the most difficult logistical and other
challenges had already been met.
- The participants were local staff, and therefore had
the opportunity to immediately apply what they learned.
- There was adequate funding to support personnel and
the necessary materials and supplies.
- The trainers were adaptable, and translation issues
and the cultural context had been taken into consideration in planning and
implementing the training.
- The "less is more" philosophy, in which the materials
and training content were condensed to accommodate the time available and the
needs of the participants, was a very effective strategy for this situation.
More Information
To read other spotlights, go to Program Spotlights.
For additional resources on family planning and reproductive health, browse
our Information Sheets
and/or go to the FP/RH section of our
Publications Catalog.
|
