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| UNFPA at
work in Syria Programme Highlights: Three Decades of Steady Advancement Educating Youth and Women Improving Reproductive Health Services Information, Education, Communication - a New Generation Box: A profile of Courage: Huwaida Kalthoum |
Information,
Education, Communication – a New Generation Dr. Mouna Ghanem wants to see a new generation of IEC materials in the country. She recently completed her Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and is now UNFPA’s national programme officer in charge of reproductive health, family planning and field projects. Abdul Muniem shares her enthusiasm and has ensured that IEC is part of every project and programme: "IEC must respond to the specific needs of the client, or it misses its mark." "We need to know more about what motivates people," says Dr. Ghanem, "In Syria, 95 per cent of women know about family planning, but only 40 per cent are currently using some form of contraception. Obviously, we have a gap between knowledge and action. We can begin by producing more targeted IEC materials and by sensitizing health workers about the needs and concerns of local women." The Ministry of Health’s IEC unit has responded with an improved design for its communication and information packages, better video programmes on reproductive health and family planning and a series of posters designed for illiterate rural women and men who already know something about family planning. The unit is also providing support to the Health Education Department. Including IEC in every project and programme, rather than adding it at the end of the process, has changed the way government officials view these activities. "The government is beginning to take this approach, across the board, in its population programmes. This new approach to IEC will help elevate these issues in the mind of the public. And that is half the battle," maintains Abdul Muniem. |
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