[afro-nets] Promoting Adolescent Reproductive Health Conference

[Dr. E. E. Giwa-amu <phirc2005@yahoo.com>]

Inivitation to a 4-Day Conference on Promoting Adolescent Repro-
ductive Health in the Niger Delta Region
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The Public Health Impact Research Centre in collaboration with
other partners wishes to organize a 4-day Conference on Promot-
ing Adolescent Reproductive Health in the Niger Delta region of
Nigeria.

An adolescent is a person aged between 10 to 24 years as defined
by the National Adolescent Health Policy (1995). In Nigeria, as
in many developing countries young people aged 10 to 24 years
constitute more than one-third of the population and represent
the potential workforce of the nation. More than half of those
newly infected with HIV today are between 15 to 24 years old. A
lot of work has been done on adolescent sexual and reproductive
health in recent times but we are yet to make universal what
really works in promoting the reproductive health of adoles-
cents.

It is against this background that the Public Health Impact Re-
search Centre proposes the organisation of this conference in
collaboration with organisations that have been working on this
area over the past few years, particularly in the Niger Delta
region.

The overall goal of the conference is to move Adolescent Repro-
ductive Health forward in the Niger Delta in a practical and ef-
fective way. It is also hoped that this programme will lay one
solid foundation of dealing with youth restiveness that has
plagued the area.

The Conference will be held at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt
from Wednesday 15 March to Saturday 18 March 2006.

Day 1 will be for arrival of participants
Day 2 and 3 will feature the Conference Proper
Day 4 will be for departure

The theme of the Conference will be "Moving Adolescent Reproduc-
tive Health forward in the Niger Delta Region"

Sub-themes will include:
* Reaching Out-of-School Adolescents
* Improving Parent-Child Communication on Adolescent Reproduc-
tive Health
* Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Adolescents
* Use of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materi-
als for the promotion of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive
Health.

The specific objectives are as follows:
1. To bring together experts and other stakeholders in Adoles-
cent Sexual and Reproductive Health to confer on how to promote
this vital aspect of reproductive health.

2. To provide opportunities for participants to present findings
on work done on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, par-
ticularly in the Niger Delta Region.

3. To develop innovative strategies at strengthening and empow-
ering existing structures to promote Adolescent and Reproductive
Health with particular emphasis on curbing the tide of HIV/AIDS
and Teenage Pregnancy in the Niger Delta.

4. To launch a website for a Niger Delta Adolescent Network
which will be operated as a Virtual Youth Centre.
PHIRC is a non-governmental, registered not-for-profit organiza-
tion in Nigeria founded in June 2002 and dedicated to the promo-
tion of Public Health in Nigeria and Africa.

Participants from the nine states in the Niger Delta Region
namely Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo,
Rivers and Ondo States are invited to attend the conference.
These may be drawn Universities, Health Institutions, Research
Institutions, and Non-governmental organizations. Other partici-
pants include proprietors/managers of cybercafes (2 from each
State), Representatives of PTA, Parents from Churches, religious
organizations and communities, Youths, Teachers and operators of
Youth Friendly Centres.

We are hereby using this medium to encourage you to invite indi-
viduals who you think will benefit immensely from the sessions
and will be able to make presentation of work they have done
Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Further information can be obtained from:
Dr. E. E. Giwa-amu
Secretary, Conference Organizing Committee
Public Health Impact Research Centre
I Eugene Obah Street, Akwuebulu Quarters
Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria
Tel.: +234-8037736283, +234-8037857479
mailto:phirc2006@yahoo.com