Bohol impresses on PHE
International delegates recently commended the PHE integration initiatives in Bohol.
“Good governance, active community participation, and passionate organization members are impressive,” the delegates said during the recently concluded South to South Exchange on Integrated Population Health and Environment (SSE-PHE) for Executives of Government and Non-Government Organizations which the Philippines hosted last February 1-8, 2010.
The SSE-PHE is a cross-institutional learning opportunity targeted at executives of health, development and conservation organizations interested in pursuing integrated PHE programming. Organized by the USAID-funded BALANCED Project, it aims to strengthen the participants’ knowledge on community based and integrated PHE systems and service delivery mechanisms and promote alliances among government and non government decision and policy makers.
During the exchange, 10 government and non-government executives from Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, Tanzania and United States conceptualized the PHE frameworks, visited learning sites and developed their own site specific PHE action plans based on the whole experience.
The SSE-PHE showcased the Integrated Population and Coastal Resource Management (IPOPCORM) Initiative of PATH Foundation Philippines Inc. (PFPI) in the Province of Bohol. The IPOPCORM approach encourages the integration of reproductive health and family planning dimension into coastal resource management strategies to address food security in the coastal communities.
The participants’ visits to PFPI’s learning sites in the Municipalities of Talibon, Ubay and Bien Unido enabled them to learn more about best practices and actual/ongoing PHE integration through meetings and interviews with LGU officials and other stakeholders such as women, youth, couples and fisher folks.
The exchange ended in a high note with the development of site-specific action plans by the participants.
The BALANCED Project, a global initiative that promotes and supports integrated population, health and environment (PHE) programs will continue to provide technical assistance and support to these action plans to integrate PHE in their respective countries.
Tags: PHE
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