On-site staff in charge of business directly explain performance
Provide opportunities for international development cooperation officials and civil society to actively participate
On November 14, Plan Korea, an international relief and development NGO, held an event to share the results of the ‘Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Promotion Project’ currently underway in Nepal and Uganda. This performance sharing session was held for Korean international development cooperation officials, civil society organizations, and the general public interested in related fields.
At this event, Plan Korea introduced major achievements of projects underway in Nepal and Uganda, as well as gender-transformative programs and localization strategies to solve the root cause of the problem. In particular, in the case of a project underway in Nepal, employees working in the field were invited to Korea to convey their vivid experiences and voices.
Plan Korea is carrying out the ‘Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Promotion Project’ in Bardiya County, Nepal, in cooperation with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) from 2021 to 2026. This project is a core program to solve the widespread problems of early marriage and teenage pregnancy in Nepal, and is actively promoting activities to guarantee the right to sexual and reproductive health.
In Bardiya County, Nepal, the problem of child marriage and teenage pregnancy is still serious, and Plan Korea is continuing efforts to change the social norms and customs of the community to solve this problem. Plan Korea engages in advocacy activities related to strengthening government policies and strives to achieve sustainable change by collaborating with local communities through localization strategies.
In particular, at this event, local employees working in Nepal visited Korea and shared direct progress of the project. In addition to activities to promote sexual and reproductive health rights in Bardiya County, they explained specific activities to provide comprehensive sexual education and improve awareness to reduce child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Field employees emphasized the importance of efforts to create sustainable change, saying, “Community participation and cooperation are the keys to business success.”
Plan Korea also introduced a project to promote youth sexual health and rights that has been underway in Uganda since 2023. This project also aims to prevent adolescent pregnancy by providing youth-friendly and gender-inclusive sexual health services in cooperation with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
In Uganda, where there is a lack of accurate information and access to services about sexual health, Plan Korea is conducting education and campaigns to deliver accurate knowledge about sexual health to adolescents and prevent the risks associated with teenage pregnancy. We are also focusing on awareness-raising activities to break down harmful local customs. Plan Korea works with local communities to increase access to youth-friendly sexual health services and to make information about sexual health and rights more accessible.
This performance sharing meeting served as a venue for in-depth discussions on the transformative approach and localization strategy of Plan Korea’s youth sexual reproductive health and rights promotion project. Plan Korea said that it organized this event to provide an opportunity for Korea’s international development cooperation officials and civil society to actively participate in solving global problems to promote sexual and reproductive health rights.
A Plan Korea official said, “Through this event, Plan Korea was able to share successful cases experienced in the field as well as challenges faced and present various methodologies to solve them,” adding, “We will continue to conduct field-oriented projects in the future.” “We will achieve sustainable change,” he said.
Reporter Choi Jong-beom jongbeom@segye.com
[ⓒ 세계일보 & Segye.com, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
