title: Turning wheels for youth.
abstract: Reconditioned bicycles donated from Japan to family planning associations (FPAs) in the West Indies and the Caribbean are being used to assist the promotion of reproductive health/family planning services at the grass roots.  The FPAs of St. Vincent, Belize, Grenada, and St. Lucia, respectively, received 75 bicycles each with spare parts in mid-1996.  The bicycles were donated through the Municipal Coordinating Committee for Overseas Bicycle Assistance, an association of Japanese local governments and JOICFP.  A low-cost, non-fuel means of transport, the bicycles are a convenient means for mobilizing grass-roots health agents and motivators.  The St. Lucia Planned Parenthood Association distributed the bicycles to field workers conducting educational activities on sexual and reproductive health, home visits, group activities and counseling throughout the island.  Peer counselors are also using the bicycles to assist with peer educational activities in schools, home visits and for other social activities.  The Grenada Planned Parenthood Association is utilizing the bicycles to assist with youth activities.  The bicycles are mobilizing key personnel of the Under Twenty Clubs (UTCs) who assemble youths in weekly meetings, and peer educators who provide counseling to their peers on sexuality and personal development.  The bicycles donated to the Belize Family Life Association have bolstered the activities of the community workers who provide community outreach services, organize community meetings, and conduct educational sessions.  The bicycles also support peer education activities by helping youths reach out to their peers to recruit them for the education program and to distribute educational materials.
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003150:Community Health Workers; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D006262:Health; D006282:Health Personnel; D007391:International Cooperation; D009656:North America; D014186:Transportation
keywords: Americas; Caribbean; Community Workers; Delivery Of Health Care; Developing Countries; Economic Factors; Field Workers; Health; Health Personnel; International Cooperation; North America; Transportation