Paraguay's Health Fair

Project Dates: 1999-2001

• What is the Health Fair?
• How is the Health Fair organized?
• Programs offered
• Relationship between the Health Fair and the decentralization process
• What municipalities and communities does the Health Fair visit?
• What are the messages disseminated by the Health Fair?
• Who is behind the Health Fair?
• How do we know that the Health Fair has an impact in the community?

What is the Health Fair?

The "Health Fair" is a community communication initiative that strengthens local governments and private and public-sector institutions as well as mobilizing communities and their leaders around reproductive health promotion. The Health Fair utilizes an "entertainment education" approach as it visits peri-urban municipalities and towns and rural communities with health messages specifically designed for adolescents and young couples. These messages seek to instill a "culture of prevention" regarding unplanned pregnancies, STDs, and safe motherhood, as well as promoting informed contraceptive decision-making and couple relationships free of domestic violence, where women's rights are respected.

How is the Health Fair organized?

The Health Fair consists of a main tent with a capacity of 350 people and two mini-tents which flank the main tent. The main tent serves as the stage for artistic and educational presentations, group games, and school contests. The mini-tents are specially designed to provide a confidential environment for counseling in reproductive health and family planning (MSBS and CEPEP), sexually transmitted diseases (National STD/AIDS Program), and domestic violence (Secretary for Women's Issues).

The Health Fair offers the following programs:

1. artistic presentations (open-air concerts featuring community singers and musical groups);

2. entertainment-education activities (street theater, puppets, educational videos, board games, school drawing contests); and

3. reproductive health, family planning, STDs, and domestic violence counseling.

What is the relationship between the Health Fair and the decentralization process?

The Health Fair initiative seeks to strengthen the involvement and political commitment of:

1. Sanitary Regions, their points of service, and providers at the central and community levels;

2. Municipalities, governors, and health councils; and

3. Community organizations and leaders. Citizens and institutions can exercise their rights to health and informed decision-making through participation in the Health Fair. The Health Fair generates community mobilization processes in defense of the right to reproductive health, promote new health habits in the community, and serves as a mechanism to facilitate inter-institutional coordination and thereby give priority to health care at the municipal level.

What municipalities and communities does the Health Fair visit?

The Health Fair travels throughout the Sanitary Regions of Asunción, Central, Cordillera, and Misiones. The specific route is coordinated with municipal leaders. The Health Fair remains in each community for three days--from Thursday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The arrival of the Health Fair in each community is promoted through radio and other community-based media, especially in locations where the community already gathers.

What are the messages disseminated by the Health Fair?

The Health Fair makes use of the PNSR's new logo and print materials: "Motherhood: A Happy Experience" (safe motherhood); "Love is Deciding Together" (family planning); "What is Reproductive Health?" counseling flipchart; and contraceptive methods poster (informed choice). A selection of educational videos for adolescents are also presented during the Health Fair. The primary messages of the Fair are presented through the following activities:

Who is behind the Health Fair?

The Health Fair is the result of coordinated planning between the MSPS and Sanitary Regions, Secretary for Women's Issues, National STD/AIDS Program, Ministry of Education, CEPEP, municipalities, and Health Councils. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Johns Hopkins University/Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) are providing financial and technical assistance to the Health Fair.

How do we know that the Health Fair has an impact in the community?

The Health Fair is evaluated by means of interviews with the intended audience (15-24 year olds) before and after they participate in the different activities within the Fair. These interviews will be used to measure changes in knowledge and attitudes related to reproductive health, family planning, safe motherhood, and domestic violence. Clinic statistics are also analyzed to measure changes in client flow as a result of the Fair.