LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

CATALYST's Latin America and the Caribbean program is active in Bolivia and
Peru with offices operating in both countries. 

BOLIVIA

The program in Bolivia focuses on the areas of adolescent FP/RH programs and postabortion care with training and supervision.  A complete description of country programs can be found elsewhere.  (See Bolivia.)

Adolescent FP/RH Programs

Technical assistance in adolescent FP/RH programs is being provided in several areas:  to design an accreditation system for youth-friendly services; to train service providers in counseling, norms and protocols for working with youth-friendly services with an emphasis on reproductive health and STI/HIV prevention; to supervise service providers; and to improve the Ministry of Health's (MOH) adolescent information system.

To support the youth services program, CATALYST will identify and establish linkages with non-clinical organizations to gather information, education and communication materials and to provide Internet access for organizations seeking program information on youth services. 

Technical assistance will continue in 13 municipalities to help activate their Youth Committees and carry out National Adolescent Plan activities at the local level, promoting adolescent reproductive health.  A keystone in these activities is the training of young leaders and peer educators, who will make educational presentations in schools, fairs and festivals in 13 districts.

Postabortion Care, Training and Supervision

CATALYST will continue to provide the Ministry of Health (MOH) with technical and financial support to implement and expand postabortion care services in fifteen national- and regional-level MOH hospitals located throughout the country in 2002-2003.  The assistance includes on-site clinical mentoring for the trained providers in hospitals that are implementing PAC services to ensure that services are being provided, according to national PAC norms and protocols.  Mentoring is provided in all program elements having to do with emergency treatment, counseling and support, contraception and referral to other health services.  Action research will be carried out to identify barriers to implementing PAC services in participating hospitals and to identify possible solutions.  Initial results of the study were presented at the Latin American PAC Workshop held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which was implemented in September 2002.   Based upon research results and previous implementation experience, CATALYST will make recommendations on the training approach to ensure accurate knowledge and quality skills transfer.  For additional information, see Improving the Adoption of Integral Post-Abortion Care (PAC) Services. 

PERU
USAID/PERU has launched a five-year strategy (2002-2006) assisted by CATALYST, which is aimed at three intermediate results.  Several specific activities are already underway.  A complete description of country programs can be found elsewhere.  (See Peru.)

Adolescent RH and Sex Education: INPPARES YES Program

USAID/CATALYST is funding two INPPARES YES (Ya Estás Segur@) kiosks for one year.  These mobile kiosks provide information on sexual and reproductive health to adolescents in the community through one-on-one and group counseling, interactive computer programs and other non-formal educational activities.
 
Commercial Contraceptive Delivery: RedPlan Salud Network of Midwives

The RedPlan Salud pilot program, designed by CATALYST and INPPARES, was launched in April 2002.  There are over 380 providers in the network as of September 2002 from all of the districts in Lima.  The purpose is to recruit nurse-midwives and physicians to serve 30,000 women (and their partners) living in five low-income districts of Lima: Comas, Los Olivos, Ate-Vitarte, San Juan de Lurigancho and Villa Maria del Triunfo.  Providers will offer services in their own communities and refer cases to INPPARES clinics in four of the five districts and to MEDISOL (a Pathfinder-supported clinic) in the remaining district.  CATALYST and INPPARES oversee quality control and train providers, who receive contraceptives through INPPARES to market in their own practices.  INPPARES, with collaboration from Schering and Pharmacia & Upjohn, advertises the network in health fairs, radio programs and flyers in areas where the public congregates.

PERU 2021: Corporate Social Responsibility Partnership

USAID/Peru recently approved a CATALYST partnership on corporate social responsibility with Peru 2021, an influential non-governmental business association representing 100 leading Peruvian corporations and approximately 15% of the Peruvian labor force.  The key focus of the partnership will be to promote corporate investment in Peru 2021's corporate reproductive health and family planning programs for the affiliated firms' employees.  The first activity, which is currently underway, is a survey conducted of corporate, employee and community needs and preferences for health programs in a sample of Peru 2021 businesses.   The purpose of the activity is to invest in health care, including reproductive health.

Open School Program: Ministry of Education

Peru's Ministry of Education (MOE) requested support from USAID/Lima to assist in developing a national strategy for an "Open School" program to be held after hours in school facilities.  Sex education and the reproductive health of adolescents are the focus areas of the educational program, along with the promotion of healthy behavior and the prevention of violence and drug use.  CATALYST is assisting in the design of the Open School program with an integrated prevention strategy in health education and will also assist the MOE in its implementation.

Mini-series "Pueblo Nuevo" with PROMUDEH

USAID Peru/CATALYST contracted out 45 regional television stations for the Ministry of Women's Promotion and Human Development (PROMUDEH) to broadcast the miniseries "Pueblo Nuevo."  This miniseries addresses the problems of domestic and sexual violence, gender roles and citizenship. A national study on audiences, recollection of messages, and demand for PROMUDEH's counseling services and impact was conducted after the broadcast.

Obstetric Emergencies including Post-Abortion Care Scale-Up

Pathfinder has been working for four years in PAC services with DFID funding in Peru.  This work has been evaluated and shown to be successful.  CATALYST submitted a proposal to USAID/Peru, which was subsequently approved, to scale-up the Obstetric Emergencies and PAC programs in the hospitals serving the coca-growing regions, which have been identified by USAID as priority sectors.

Accreditation of Services/Certification of Professionals

In partnership with CATALYST, the USAID Mission is leading a series of planning meetings with local stakeholders (Ministry of Health, Colegios Médico de Obstetrices e Enfermeras, Associations of Medical, Nursing and Midwifery Schools and others), to have a plan for the accreditation of medical facilities, accreditation of medical schools and certification of medical professionals.  The CAFME plan (Comité de Acreditación de Facultades de Medicina) has been approved by the Mission and initial implementation began in September 2002.  Much of the planning of this effort and related coalitions with other organizations is still underway.

Other Health Areas Requested by the Mission

USAID/Peru has allocated money to carry out activities in four areas within the context of reproductive health programs: HIV, Infectious Diseases, Malaria and Tuberculosis. 

USAID/Peru is sponsoring a complete assessment of the Peruvian health situation in five Departments within the coca-growing region, including services in HIV, infectious diseases, maternal and perinatal health, malaria, tuberculosis, health facilities resolution capabilities, drug provision, management and administration.  Assessments will take place between July 2002 and January 2003 in the new geographic area of concentration defined by USAID/Peru's new Health Strategy.  Seven consultants that have been identified by CATALYST and the Mission will carry out the assessment.  CATALYST is responsible for this activity.  Based upon the results of this assessment, a plan of action will be developed.  At that point, objectives, activities, outputs and outcomes for each of the topical areas will be designed with the Mission and incorporated into this work plan.

CATALYST also received the task of supporting the 2002 Vaccination Campaign for the Peruvian MOH (under Child Survival funding).  As a result, CATALYST has produced, in coordination with the Peruvian MOH and UNICEF, a series of IEC materials for the vaccination campaign.