UNFPA AFGHANISTAN: RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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LAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH:

In 2010, UNFPA together with USAID, JICA, WHO and UNICEF, supported the revision of the Reproductive Health Strategy, ensuring the following new areas would be addressed

(i) RH in emergencies

(ii) Family Health Houses (new model of community-based Maternal Neonatal Health service provision by UNFPA);

(iii) Sexually Transmitted Infections jointly with WHO;

(iv) fistula;

(v) breast and cervical cancer

(vi) Health response to GBV

(vii) M&E chapter with new linkages to HMIS and M&E departments.UNFPA and partners helped form the Monitoring and Evaluation Advisory Board, responsible to examine reproductive health indicators and adapt them in line with RH strategy and action plans, and finalise National RH Monitoring Indicators in light of revised RH strategy and action plan.

UNFPa Supported Health Services Provision:

Achievements 2010 - 2011:

• Revision of the National Reproductive Strategy
• Preparation of a costed Action Plan;
• Successful advocacy for inclusion of Family Health Houses, and Reproductive Health in emergencies, in RH Strategy;
• Partnership with Provincial Health Directorates and a national NGO, to begin establishing Family Health Houses;
• Ministry Of Public Health capacity enhancement to ensure Reproductive Health Commodity Security, and support (of MoPH) in rehabilitating and clearing, and organizing its stock facility, and training warehouse staff in correct stock management procedures, at the centre and in six provinces.
• Institutional and technical capacity building of professional associations -- Afghanistan Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (AFSOG) and Afghanistan Midwifery Association (AMA);
• Development of joint action plan with USAID funded Health Services Support Project (HSSP) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to address Reproductive Health and Family Planning issues;
• Support of community midwife training schools in Bamyan, Daikundi, Logar, and Faryab, and graduated and deployed 66 community midwives in 2011;
• National Policy and Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery Services developed and approved by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Ministry of Public Health.
• National RH action plan and institutional development framework completed.
• National Policy and Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery Services developed and approved by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Ministry of Public Health.
• Completion of drafting of Midwifery Act
• Support of training midwives from Takhar and Kunduz at Institute of Health Sciences Kabul
• Operation of 21 Mobile Health Units providing essential basic and reproductive health services at 227 service delivery points in remote parts of Badakhshan, Bamiyan, and Faryab provinces;
• Training of 16 male and female master trainers from Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, and Parwan, in the importance of male involvement in Family Planning, and 17 persons from four provinces on male participation in Family Planning in Herat;
• Training of 810 peer educators at UNFPA-supported Youth Information Centres, using a peer education manual developed for the local context. These peer educators in turn engage other youth in discussions about Adolescent and Sexual Reproductive Health issue, seeking to promote health-enhancing knowledge and skills;
• 61 fistula patients received treatment
• Fistula curriculum developed
• Core Group of 20 master trainers (10 OBGYNS and 10 midwives) trained on fistula prevention, who will roll out the prevention training throughout Afghanistan
• 5 fistula surgeons and 2 nurses in Kabul trained by international expert
• 64 health care providers received psychosocial support and counselling training, for re-integration and rehabilitation of Fistula patients;
• 700 midwives from different parts of the country received orientation on O.F prevention and its referral during their annual congress in Kabul.
• Psychosocial counseling for O.F patients included in psychosocial training resource package of MoPH
• First draft of Midwifery Act has been completed and is under review.
• Health workers in two hard to reach provinces received training on two modules on Quality Assurance
• Health Facility-Based Youth-Friendly Services Assessment: In October 2010, UNFPA supported an assessment of health facilities in seven provinces to determine whether the reproductive health services they provided, were accessible to and supportive of adolescents and young people. With Bamyan and Badakhshan unable to participate in the preparatory training workshop, eventually 24 health facilities in five provinces (Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Faryab, and Nangarhar) were assessed, to measure their ability and practice of providing youth-friendly Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Services.
• Findings from this assessment were used to frame recommendations for the MOPH and related ministries and non-governmental partner agencies, on how to make such services accessible and suitable in the specific cultural and technical contexts.
• The assessment was a joint exercise of the Ministry of Public Health, WHO, the Afghan Family Guidance Association, and UNFPA.

LAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS, POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT:

Achievements 2010 - 2011:

• Capacity building for CSO staff - training in Census Operations, Basic English, Basic Computer, Training of Trainers, Planning and Management.
• CSO infrastructure rehabilitation - repair of multi-purpose hall, warehouse and GIS building, construction of two training rooms.
• Refurbishment of CSO Provincial Statistics Offices -- provision of motorcycles, computers, printer, generator, media equipment (tape recorder, still-camera).
• Refurbishment of CSO Kabul Office -- provision of computers, printers, air-conditioners, media equipment (video camera, still camera, sound system, scanners, conference microphone system), printing press equipment, material and supplies.
• Household Listing for all 34 provinces - full household listing in urban areas with names of heads of households, and counting of buildings in rural areas.
• Pre-survey extensive, houses, establishments, and institutions listing -- preparation of sketch maps of villages with physical location of important public services, establishments, and institutions such as schools, hospitals, banks, means of transportation to and from the village, presence of electricity, water sources, for Bamiyan and five districts of Daikundi. This information is vital for planning emergency response during humanitarian crises.
• Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey in Bamiyan - the enumeration was carried out in six districts and provincial centre in Bamiyan.
• Youth Information Centres supported in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, and Mazar.
• 810 peer educators trained to work as volunteer promoters of sexual and reproductive health awareness among adolescent and young Afghans.
• Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) established with eight young women and eight young men representing different regions of Afghanistan, for connecting young Afghans, and bringing their needs and rights to the forefront, promoting participation and volunteerism among youth.
• Concept note entitled "Connecting Youth" drafted.
• Donor coordinating group chaired by Swedish Embassy, established.
• "Youth for Change" small grants program launched.
• Youth Health Hotline piloted in Kabul city, with counsellors trained to provide referral advice to youth on Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) and psychosocial issues.

LAST ACCOMPLISHMENT, GENDER:

• UNFPA supported Afghanistan's National Police Academy (NPA) in developing a training manual -- "Police Taking Action on VAW in Afghanistan" -- which has been incorporated into the police training curriculum. UNFPA supported a full review of the NPA curricula with the assistance of its gender specialist who enabled the development of the tailor-made training manual and related course curricula (34hrs. and 52 hrs.). The Manual provides comprehensive training material for police officers and law-enforcement bodies, on techniques and procedures for effectively dealing with GBV.
• UNFPA experts followed up the training by monitoring the instructions provided at the NPA and provided positive constructive feedback to help improve training quality. The National Police Academy of Afghanistan currently has 2000 students enrolled in six-month long training programs, and 500 students enrolled in a three-year program. In addition, regular short trainings on different relevant topics are provided to 200 trainees each year.
• UNFPA, has worked towards building the capacity of Afghan health care providers, in psychosocial counselling, with specific focus on skills and techniques for dealing with GBV survivors, using a coordinated community response strategy of public intervention in GBV cases that simultaneously addresses various needs of GBV victims by public institutions (healthcare facilities, law enforcement bodies, related other state bodies, community organizations, NGOs).
• Upon request of the Afghanistan Protection Cluster, and in the context of UNFPA global commitments under the Interagency Standing Committee (IASC), UNFPA Afghanistan's Country Office initiated the establishment of the Afghanistan Gender Based Violence Sub-Cluster (GBV SC) as a national coordinating body to strengthen and enhance the efforts and activities of stakeholders in the country, for prevention of and response to GBV.
• As part of the Global Joint UNFPA/UNICEF/UNHCR Project for strengthening the capacity of humanitarian actors to respond to GBV, the Afghanistan GBV Sub-Cluster created a pool of 17 capacity promoters, who conduct cascade training and sensitization sessions on interventions to combat GBV in a humanitarian setting.
• mobilization and training of religious leaders for prevention of Gender Based Violence from the perspective of Islamic teachings from the Quran and ‘Ahadiths' (life and teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad), and the development of the Healthy Family Fortunate Society, book to be used for raising awareness of religious scholars and leaders and common people regarding the position of Islam on issues related to all kinds of violence against women.