As FFPAM celebrates its 50th year, the foundation has embarked on a peer educational programme with the aim of educating disadvantaged youths to take responsibility for their actions.
Fifty years of existence as the country’s oldest non-governmental organisation is indeed a feat and the Federation of Family Planning Associations Malaysia (FFPAM) which hit the big 50 in May this year plans to celebrate in style.
A federation of 13 State Family Planning Associations (FPAs), the FFPAM supplements and complements the government’s efforts in promoting the education of Malaysians in matters relating to family planning and reproductive issues.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations the FFPAM will celebrate with a grand Gala dinner at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre on Aug 23 in tribute to partners and volunteers of the organisation and officially launch the new Family Health Foundation Malaysia (FHFM) at the event.
Last year, 127,208 individuals and families in Malaysia benefited from the clinical services provided by the FFPAM’s 41 clinics located throughout the country, said FFPAM president Datuk Jaffar Indot.
Cheah Swee Neo, the Federation’s head of programme services, said last year FFPAM clinics performed 133,241 general health check-ups, 112,310 breast examinations, 36,985 Pap smears, 8,073 blood-screening, 7,099 treatment for minor gynaecological problems, and 6275 ultrasound services.
Cheah said the federation’s clinics practised the 'Robin-Hood' approach, charging those who could afford to pay and subsidising or providing free services to those who can’t, especially the underprivileged and under-served segments of the population.
“Donor support from internal and external sources also makes it possible to provide affordable services to everyone.
“For example, the contraceptive stocks, provided as a commodity grant by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) are available at nominal rates, while the government support for Pap smear services makes the services affordable as well.
“The sessional doctors provide voluntary services and thus costs of services to clients are kept low, making it affordable to all people,” she added.
On the FFPAM’s youth programmes, Cheah said the foundation received positive feedback from its recently completed United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) funded project.
Launched in 2005, and adopting a peer to peer education approach 'Protecting Young Malaysians from HIVs and STIs', was a three-year project implemented by four state FPAs (Penang, Kelantan, Malacca and Kedah) in 18 schools (including one primary school in Langkawi) and five colleges.
Adopting innovative channels such as traditional music, stage dramas, sketches and youth camps to raise the awareness on HIV prevention, it demonstrated the power of young people to act as agents of change by imparting information on HIV/AIDS and prevention to their peers.
“The feedback indicated that it is good for them to be able to access such educational programmes as they learn to take responsibility of their actions and more importantly know how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted disease such as HIV, and to avoid unwanted pregnancies,” said Cheah.
Buoyed by the success of that project, Cheah said the FFPAM has embarked on another peer education project funded by the UNFPA.
Aimed at increasing the SRH and HIV knowledge of disadvantaged youths, the project which targets residents of juvenile rehabilitation centres will cover 13 government run centres throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Jaffar who is also chairman of the board of trustees for the new FHFM elaborated on the role that the new foundation would play, as external funding from international organisations like IPPF and UNFPA are progressively shrinking.
He said in the last 10 years FFPAM’s annual budgeted income averaged RM9.6 million, 72 per cent of which was raised by the FFPAM through the services provided by its clinics.
Elaborating further on the role of the new FHFM, Jaffar said the FHFM was set up to be an autonomous, sustainable foundation for raising, managing and distributing funds in support of sexual and reproductive health services carried by partner organisations such as FFPAM.
Three key areas that the FHFM would focus its resources on would be the provision of sexual and reproductive health services, meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of the youth and contributing towards the national aim of eradicating HIV/AIDS in Malaysia.
Source: NST Online, 18 August 2008