FGAE’s SRH Media Professional Network has visited FGAE’s facilities at SWAO
FGAE’s Sexual Reproductive Health Media Professionals Network: The FGAE Media Professional Exchange Visit to FGAE’s Southwest area office was organised from 7-11 June 2018 for 16 participants from media professionals coming from 12 media houses such as TV, Radio and Printings. This exchange visit was designed by CC and PR Unit and Southwest Area Office’s to build the image of the Association and increase the impact of services delivery at SWAO and disseminate the best achievements of the program implementation. The visit was also accompanied by observation, Q&A dialogue, presentation and debriefing session in each facility and media productions focusing on best practices’ of each facility as well.
The program was launched by the opening remark of Profs. Debela Hude, Chair of the Advisory Board at SWAO level. In his speech he articulated about the role of the Medias towards reaching SRH services to the public and requested media professionals to disseminate promising practices to the general community with credibility. Then, Ato Dessalegn Workneh, SWAO Manager presented the overall program implementation, capacity of SWAO and geographical coverage with attracting presentations.
Day one, the visiting team visited Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) program organized by Seka Secondary School which is 17 km away from Jimma. In the school, the team could have seen the practical execution of CSE program with various formats like in school-event: forum drama, poem, panel discussion and questions and answers among the school community. One song was presented by students that preach FGAE is in the community. Then, the team went to visit social franchised clinic in Seka Town and observed the service linkage the school and this clinic have working with while delivering of SRH services to Seka Secondary School’s students. In the afternoon, we could have also seen SWAO’s Confidential Clinic facility offering integrated FP services to the targeted sex workers in the town. The intervention is being addressed by volunteer sex workers by recruiting the targeted populations at night in different places like in the bar, tavern and streets.
Day two, Limu Coffee Plantation Clinic which is 80 km away from Jimma was visited. It is one of the key sites of service facilities of work place intervention where SWAO offering integrated services to the wider community in the plantation site. According to Mr. Besheda Worku, Manager of Limu Plantation Site, the site has 5722 population of which 1500 – 1800 employees are engaged on coffee and honey plantation. The facility is being supported on capacity building and service delivery by FGAE through SWAO. So far, SWAO has trained 25 SRH and HIV/AIDS Peer Educators and around 12 training promoters. Through these changes agents FGAE we could have been raised the awareness of the employees on SRH/FP and HIV/AIDS and got progress the services through provision of commodities for SRH services as well.
He added that the site is delivering integrated SRH/FP and cervical cancer services. In this case, SWAO’s program intervention has brought notable change in the use of the short and long term family planning services, increased productivity and profitability of the plantation and negatively influences the overall health status of the entire community in the surroundings communities for employees and for their families.
The last visiting site was Woliso Youth Centre, at the beginning Mr. Mohamed Yemer, AAAO Manager welcomed the visitors and overviewed the overall service delivery of AAAO specifically Woliso centre. Followed his explanation, he made discussion for more clarification. Afterwards, the visiting team visited each facility in the youth centre. First the music group was visited with their practical performance and then other youth friendly services being rendered by the centre. The centre is almost fully operated and managed by the youths, who were empowered by the AAAO through various skill trainings and other youth friendly services including indoor games and library.
Finally debriefing Session was conducted at which many unclear issues raised from the participants. Like SRH service utilization among university students and how SWAO cares people who are unable to afford service free. Ato Desalegn explained that SWAO is giving SRH services with minimal cost for the community. In addition to these, he underlined that the Association has a policy – ‘No Client Refusal Policy”; in this regard all services including Save Abortion Service is being served for any client who are unable to afford the price.
