PESHAWAR: WPF to collect data on reproductive health - Executive director speaks of his visit
By Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR, Sept 5: World Population Foundation Executive Director Frans A.J. Banete has said that the purpose of his visit to Pakistan is to collect information about problems of adolescents and the reproductive health situation
with the objective of extending financial aid and technical support to local NGOs for establishing a network of human resource development in the country.
Talking to reporters here, Mr Banete said that being director of the WPF he was supposed to study the overall reproductive health and adolescent problems and in this regard he would hold talks with all stakeholders, including schoolteachers, media people, NGOs personnel and government officials.
This was "my duty to collect ground information" and at a later stage discuss it with other WPF staff so that a comprehensive strategy could be chalked out before extending financial and technical support to the concerned NGOs, he said while answering a question.
Mr Banete further claimed that during his Peshawar visit he visited Pak-village Aid office and met some under-training teacher, who were found quite enthusiastic and determined that after completion of their training they would use their skill while trying to solve their students' problems as well as guide them whenever this was required, he replied when asked about his personal observations.
Speaking about his other engagements, he said that he would visit Swat and Karachi and in final phase of his visit, he would hold meeting with Pakistani officials. He further said that the WPF would be willing to share with Pakistani officials that information about the life style of adolescent in other parts of the world.
He said that in this connection if request was extended they could provide some facts and figures about the problems being faced to adolescents in both developed and least developed countries of the world.
"I think it would be good for Pakistan to study the situation in both extreme blocks of the world and later work out a comprehensive plan for resolving the problems of local adolescents."
When he was asked whether WPF had any plan to start such types of projects in under construction Afghanistan, Mr. Banete replied that so far no such plan is on the table but, at the same time he claimed that some of the Afghan teachers were provided training about adolescents problems in some cities of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, WPF Country Representative Christopher John Wardle, who was present on the occasion, said that they would like to have access to Pakistani youth to know about their real problems.
He further said that in Pakistan the WPF was working through a number of local NGOs in the field of reproductive health, adolescents social education and holding consultative workshops for politicians, media personnel and religious scholars.
He said that they were working with nine local NGOs in different cities, including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore and Karachi.
The main objective of the WPF was to facilitate the locals in skill development so that they could facilitate different stakeholders and ultimately the youngsters would be trained to get rid of their personal problems and lead a healthy lifestyle, he observed.
