Increasing Cohesion

Project profile: The UPSU has been established to support oversee RHIYA partners in Cambodia, as a unit part of UNFPA office in Cambodia. The UPSU was the coordinating body, facilitating and ensuring synergy and harmonization between RHIYA partners for a successful implementation of the projects. The UPSU provided partner NGOs with technical assistance, supported an ASRH programme network, conducted the M&E of the project progress, developed gender sensitive advocacy materials and facilitated various training sessions. It conducted regular coordination and operational meetings, organized workshops on relevant topics, and assisted in locating resource materials.

In addition, the UPSU took the lead role in arranging shared activities at major events such as the annual Youth Camp and the World Population Day, where young people could share their experience and express their concerns. It also established linkages between the RHIYA program and relevant ministries of the Cambodian Government and other agencies through an Advisory Group (AG). Moreover, it advocated for youth on ASRH issues by compiling and disseminating information, materials and reports and by organizing site visits for policy makers and AG members. The UPSU was also the focal point of a web-based Knowledge Management System (KMS) that shared information / experience among partners in Cambodia and abroad.

Strategy: The initial outputs approved for the UPSU were the same as RHIYA’s ones, but following the recommendations of Brussels’ Central Unit, they were adjusted to fit with its coordination role: 1) Coordination of RHIYA partner interventions increased and links between RHIYA and other stakeholders strengthened; 2) M&E and reporting systems for RHIYA established at country program and NGOs project levels; 3) Management and planning capacity in NGOs strengthened and technical assistance to RHIYA projects provided; 4) Understanding of critical ASRH issues in Cambodia improved; 5) Advocacy and visibility of RHIYA Program promoted and best practices/lessons learned documented and shared.

UPSU successfully achieved its role as a coordination body. It did not work directly with young people but did contribute to the RHIYA overall goal and purpose through focusing on building internal and external linkages and networks with the relevant ministries of the Government of Bangladesh and other RHIYA partners. It did so through a variety of activities and events planned throughout the project life such as Youth Gatherings, which helped the National Reproductive Health programme to raise ASRH issues and concerns and to incorporate it into the National curriculum. UPSU has thus a merit in the development of Youth Friendly Clinical Services (YFS) Guidelines in Cambodia. In addition, in order to improve the understanding of ASRH issues, UPSU focused on implementing additional approved activities such as Sex worker workshops and the production of IEC material.

Outputs: 1) Coordination of RHIYA partner interventions increased and links between RHIYA and other stakeholders strengthened including the Royal Government of Cambodia: UPSU organized 5 AG meetings which were held twice a year. Over 40 participants from government ministries, donor agencies IOs and NGOs participated at each session and provided recommendations for improvement of the programme implementation; In combination with this, 3 Annual Review meetings were held to inform all partners and update relevant government staffs in order to increase their interest in ASRH issues. During this time, RHIYA collaborated with the MoH to develop National Guidelines on A/Y clinical friendly services and with the MoE to incorporate ASRH life skills in the curriculum. These meetings also served to advocate for ASRH activities as youth were invited to raise their needs and concerns; In addition, UPSU facilitated 11 Quarterly Program Coordination Meetings to share information on constraints, lessons learned and implementation of activities amongst partners and 10 Quarterly implementer meetings to obtain feedback from project staff at implementation level; UPSU also facilitated and coordinated several events such as youth camps / gatherings / youth forums intended to provide an opportunity to youth (including peer educators), to share their experience about ASRH activities and advocate for ASRH activities among the policy makers.

2) M&E and reporting systems for RHIYA established at country program and NGO project levels: Annual Consolidated reports were finalized and timely submitted on PTRS. UPSU spent a lot of time preparing, reviewing and consolidating reports: baseline/ end line surveys (BLS/ELS-quantitative and qualitative data collections), were completed through group discussions and in depth interviews with youth and stakeholders. They showed improvements in knowledge and behaviour of youth regarding SRH; 2 Client Exit Surveys were carried out in Service Delivery Points (SDPs) and shared with the NGOs during the Quarterly Program Coordination Meeting to improve their clinical services to youth.

3) Management and planning capacity in NGOs strengthened and technical assistance to RHIYA projects provided: Based on the needs assessments conducted in 2004, 7 trainings organized by UPSU for NGO partners' staff on presentation, communication, report writing, and problem solving skills, advocacy strategy, financial reporting format and proposal writing. Over 20 NGOs staff attended each of the trainings. Field visits were undertaken twice per quarter to monitor the project the activities of partner NGOs and recommendations and follow-ups were made for further improvement of the project implementation.

4) Understanding of critical ASRH issues in Cambodia improved: Despite the short time span between BSL and ELS, ASRH knowledge and behaviour improved. A video documentary on RH was produced and given to NGOs for further dissemination; Spots were aired on radio and TV and a training video on ASRH was produced as a training tool for NGOs and to be used beyond the life of the project. Its effect will be widespread.

5) Advocacy and visibility of RHIYA Program promoted and best practices/lessons learned documented and shared: UPSU reminded regularly NGO partners to display EU/UNFPA logos during events and on the equipment purchased under EU/UNFPA. Stickers with logos were printed and distributed to NGOs to post them. IEC materials bearing EU/UNFPA logos were printed and distributed to partners and young people. In addition, UPSU posted articles on the X-change website and encouraged partners to do so. Lessons learned were also shared among the NGO through emails and posted on X-change website.

Lessons learned: Exchange visits and meetings are effective ways to share experience and lessons learned and improve the ASRH situation in the country: Exchange visits allowed RHIYA partners to show effective activities being implemented in the country and learn about approaches used by partners. Youth forums allowed youth to raise concerns / discuss issues with stakeholders and political leaders to improve policy formulation and / or program implementation.

Linkages are important: Linkages with government ministries, particularly the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport and the Ministry of Health were established and strengthened, contributing to the development of YFS Guidelines and incorporation of ASRH issues into the National education life skills curriculum. Youth Camps revealed very good collaboration among all RHIYA partners. UPSU warmly hosted the visits (e.g. Nepalese partners) indicating not only good inter-linkage within the country but also at the regional level.

However issues and challenges were encountered along the way: adaptation to the new narrative and financial systems, long delays in budget approval, BLS/ELS oversight… It was thus learned that the analytical framework to be used for BLS/ELS analysis of results should be completed and available before the data analysis starts. Moreover there was reduced cooperation from partners at the end of the project (NGOs faced a lot of staff turnover).

Partner Profile: The Umbrella Program Support Unit (UPSU) is a support unit established by UNFPA to provide technical support for capacity development of the NGOs and work with Regional Dimension Projects (RDPs). The UPSU mission is to help ensure universal access to reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health, to all couples and individuals on or before the year 2015; to support population and development strategies that enable capacity-building in population programming; to promote awareness of population and development issues and to advocate for the mobilization of the resources and political will necessary to accomplish its areas of work. The objective of the UPSU in Cambodia was to support the Cambodian RHIYA partner NGOs and to efficiently implement the SRH projects for young people at risk in Cambodia.

Contact: UNFPA RHIYA UPSU P.O. Box 877 No 164E1 Street Pasteur (51) Phnom Penh Kingdom of Cambodia Tel: +855 23 215 519 Fax: +855 23 211 339