Ms. Suzanne Reier, CoP of USAID ARH Project, Ms. Kabita Aryal, Chief of FP/RH Section, Family Welfare Division and Ms. Medha Sharma, President, Visible Impact, representative of youth attended as the panelists. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Rajendra Bhadra, an ARH expert in Nepal.
Ms. Suzanne Reier emphasized the project’s primary strategies for enhancing adolescent reproductive health and rights and achieving the most underserved adolescent groups through localized efforts. Ms. Reier also spoke about the project’s potential to offer technical assistance to the government to help in meeting its SDG objectives. Ms. Kabita Aryal highlighted some of the successes in terms of programming and policy. She also noted that the government needs substantial technical assistance from INGOs and EDPs at all levels of government in implementing the program as per the approved policies and plans. Key obstacles and difficulties in using ARH services and accessing information were discussed by Ms. Medha Sharma. She also summarized on how adolescents and youth can meaningfully take part in SRHR programming at the federal, provincial, local, and community level.
Setting the context, Ms. Rabina Dhakal presented about overall scenario of the adolescent reproductive health in line with the panel discussion theme in reference to USAID Adolescent Reproductive Health, its key approaches, strategies to address issues of Adolescent as well as findings of formative research along with the learnings from other project (Tipping Point) of CARE.
Ms. Manisha Laxmi Shrestha, KM Manager also presented the learnings from formative research of USAID ARH through poster presentation. Her topic of the poster was “Adolescent reproductive health: Current status, needs, and gaps and its implications for program design” that was viewed by the conference participants and curiously asked questions and the Ms. Shrestha responded their questions.
In another session of Nutrition, Mr. Min Raj Gyawali, DCoP co-facilitated the session as Co-Chair. In this session there were five presentations on mother and child nutrition, breast feeding, and nutrition related SBC, etc. in a multi-sector approach. He summarized the session with highlighting the multi-sector, multi-stakeholders and multi-level coordination and collaboration with assuring engagement of all relevant stakeholders.
Along with the panellists, presenter, and Co-chair, Santa Dangol, Geeta Sharma, Niva Shakya, Adweeti Nepal from USAID ARH and CARE were also participated in the conference.