Drawing upon years of research into meaningful ways of reaching essential health messages to the young in the remotest corners of Bangladesh, BCCP executed a communication program that induced the boys and girls in the target age-group to be decidedly more conscious of the problems of adolescence - the tensions and worries that accompany the onset of puberty, the risks regarding premature motherhood, the dangers of unprotected sexual encounters and of course the deadly enemy, HIV and AIDS. In the fourth year of the program, BCCP carried out several activities to consolidate the approaches, and have them incorporated in the programs of other NGOs in order to attain sustainability of the intervention.  The activities included:

Organizing an Orientation Program on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) Communication Materials

The orientation program with the title "Comic Books and Communication Materials on Adolescent Reproductive Health" took place at Hotel Abakash on 9 October, 2006 and the speakers on the occasion included, among others, Professor Mostafa Kamal, Principal, Dhaka Public College and Mr. Edson E. Whitney, Associate Director of JHU/CCP. The orientation program intended, on the one hand, to give the participants an idea about the nature of the activities meant to improve adolescent reproductive health and, on the other, have their views on how best they can contribute to these activities from their respective positions.

Local Level ARH Campaign

BCCP's mode of action in regard to awareness-raising activities aimed at motivating adolescents to use life skills to cope with problems relating to 

puberty and reproductive health, has been determined by a variety of communication strategies devised around the TV magazine Nijeke Jano Saphalyo Ano. The campaign program organized in collaboration with partner NGOs engaged in promoting ARH activities at the local level drew on cultural functions, street dramas and renditions of folk songs. The campaign also screened parts of the TV magazine Nijeke Jano and three TV commercials on the ARH logo as a follow-up and inspired adolescents and parents to watch it regularly.  Several materials, e.g. caps carrying the ARH logo, T-shirts, posters on Nijeke Jano, were distributed by NGOs among the boys and girls. The government officials, eminent members of society and local journalists attending the program regarded the campaign as being immensely beneficial to the health of the young people. BCCP also organized a get-together at the BKSP (Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan) auditorium. The BKSP Principal, teachers and students together with BCCP's Director and Senior Deputy Director were present. The ARH logo, stickers, posters on the ARH TV magazine, routine cards, and comic books on ARH were distributed among the teachers and students.

ARH Toolkit: Experience Sharing Workshop of Partner/Corporate NGOs

The Experience Sharing Workshop was held with the partner NGOs who collaborated with BCCP to implement the ARH program in the towns and villages of the six divisions of Bangladesh.  The workshop took place in May 2007 at the Human Resource Development Centre Trust, Manikganj, where the experience of implementing the ARH package in various areas was shared and evaluated, progress was reviewed and the continuation of the program after the project period or its incorporation into some other project was discussed. This workshop helped the NGO representatives gain an insight into the experience of other NGOs in the implementation of the ARH program and strengthen each other's thematic network.

Countrywide Survey to Evaluate ARH Communication Programs

A countrywide survey was conducted this year to evaluate the ARH communication programs at the community level over the last 5 years under the umbrella of adolescent reproductive health. ACNielsen, a research organization, conducted the study by interviewing adolescents from all 64 districts of the country. A total of 4,800 adolescents were taken as a nationally representative sample and a farther 965 adolescents who had participated in the ARH community level activities were studied under the over sampling method. Gender sensitivity was considered in the overall sample selection; therefore half of the respondents were girls. A qualitative study was conducted on the basis of in-depth interviews with the life skills workshop participants.

ARH Focused Community Assessment Report Published

The report on "Bangladesh Adolescent Reproductive Health Focused Community Assessment" was published and distributed this year. The study, conducted during June-July 2006, evaluated the pilot intervention program launched in 2003 in three upazilas of Bangladesh, namely Shakhipur, Ghoraghat and Chowgacha, of the districts of Tangail, Dinajpur and Jessore respectively. At the beginning of the pilot program, a baseline survey was conducted. The report shows that the pilot program had a couple of positive effects in the intervention areas, and these include: adolescents' knowledge of reproductive health and self-esteem increased to a great extent, although little effect was seen among other measures of life skills; premarital sexual activity among male adolescents decreased significantly between 2004 and 2005, while remaining unchanged in the comparison areas. Adolescents' perception about sexual abstinence until marriage and other safe sexual practices improved significantly in the intervention areas while remaining unchanged in the comparison areas.