IPC Training for Family Planning Communication Tools in Kampong Chhnang

When it comes to communicating accurate information on family planning methods to rural villages in Cambodia, IPC agents are critical. Interpersonal communication (IPC) agents are trusted members of their communities with excellent communication skills who meet with men and women in villages to discuss accurate information regarding family planning methods and is there for couples to assist them in making decisions regarding their family planning needs.

Recently, in Kampong Chhnang Province, the Promoting Healthy Behaviors (PHB) Activity worked closely with local partners to train IPC agents on effective ways to communicate PHB Activity family planning intervention message. PHB Activity lead a five-day training session with nine IPC agents and on the final day they put their knew skills in action, going to a nearby to meet with villagers and facilitate their first sessions.

The sessions in the village were split into mixed, both men and women, including many village elders eager to join and then a men’s group. The IPC agents used a variety of tools to discuss the different methods, including a Loving Relationships Booklet which discusses each method and the difference between them in addition to talking about what healthy relationships look like. This booklet has proved popular among couples. More tools that are simple and effective were a short fortune teller game, that gives the person a fact about each method after drawing a specific number.

“I have been using traditional methods and this group discussion helped me distinguish rumors from facts. I also want to use an IUD. When I get back home, I will discuss this with my husband. I want to wait until my kid starts school before having another child.”

One villager who joined the session with her young toddler, Ros Kunthy expressed her interested stating that, “I have been using traditional methods and this group discussion helped me distinguish rumors from facts. I also want to use an IUD. When I get back home, I will discuss this with my husband. I want to wait until my kid starts school before having another child.”

With the successful completion of their training and testing their skills in the field, the IPC agents will very soon be ready to start their sessions with rural Cambodians all over Kampong Chhnang very soon. Final approval from PHB Activity government partners awaits, with intervention sessions intended to start in the next month to two months and we look forward to hearing the positive impact family planning will have on couples in Kampong Chhnang.