PNG learns from RI's family planning program
PNG learns from RI's family planning program
KUTA, Bali (JP): Indonesia's experiences and methods in
implementing its family planning program have become an important
base of knowledge which could be adopted by many countries to
improve their family planning programs.
An official from Papua New Guinea, Thalia Wat, said on
Wednesday that learning from Indonesia's experiences had helped
to improve the family planning program in her country.
"Since 1996, my country has sent 163 officials to join the
Indonesian International Training Program (ITP) and managed to
adopt the country's methods," she said during a one-week
international conference here.
One of the methods widely employed in Indonesia and supposedly
being adopted elsewhere was the non-scalpel vasectomy.
"It was very surprising to find that the male population in my
country is willing to participate in the family planning program
by undergoing the method," she added.
The conference, which began on Sunday, was held to evaluate
the outcome of the ITP program, which was launched 12 years ago.
There are 25 participants from 12 Asian countries and 45
participants from donor foundations.
The participants visited family planning centers at the
village level, which have been lauded as the backbone of
Indonesia's successful family planning program, on Tuesday to
observe the methods employed by local workers and residents.
Thalia said Papua New Guinea wanted to learn more on how
Indonesia could have such a wide-scale and active public
participation in implementing family planning.
A Tanzanian participant disclosed his country's interest in
the Indonesian community-based family planning program.
Ngirwamungu said that in 1996 Tanzania established three
community-based programs as pilot projects.
The country named the program Posyandu, adopting the name of
Indonesia's program, he said.
Noting that the program went well, he said that in 1997 they
managed to establish five more Posyandu in Tanzania.
"The activity of the Posyandu has supported 38.5 percent of
the family planning program participants in my country," he
added.
A Philippine participant, Virginia Sarmiento, said her country
had adopted Indonesia's method in including religious and
community leaders to promote the family planning program.
"The involvement of Muslim leaders in Mindanao region was
part of our effort to increase the general public's participation
in the program," she said.(zen/04)