This summer, over 600 events--including disco dances, seminars, and training courses for health professionals--took place during National Family Planning Week, held throughout Ukraine from May 26 to June 1. Announcements and information about the event appeared on radio, on television, and in newspaper articles in every region of the country.

Activities included meetings and special events, such as roundtable discussions among family planning specialists and the distribution of 130,000 condoms that had been donated by a U.S. agency.

In addition, doctors gave presents and contraceptives to mothers of newborns at maternity hospitals in Dnipropetrovsk; loudspeakers blared messages about family planning in the most crowded streets of Sevastopol, Crimea; new family planning rooms and family planning centers opened in eight districts of Rivninska; and every region of the country held an official opening ceremony.

Getting Started

The Vice-Prime Minister opened the ceremony in Kyiv. In an unprecedented show of support, four additional ministers spoke about the need for family planning in Ukraine. The involvement of so many high-level officials in this event is significant in that it shows Ukraine's commitment to ongoing support of family planning.

During the opening ceremony, the Minister of Education awarded first prize--boom-box radios--to two students from Kyiv and Rivno, who wrote the winning essays in a national contest in the secondary schools.

Focus on Youth

Many of the events had a special focus on youth.

All in all, there were over 200 events for adolescents, including disco parties with family planning themes, opportunities to speak with family planning counselors, and visits by specialists to secondary schools to answer questions about family planning.

In Kyiv, the government organized a special holiday in the central park, attended by about 5,000 youths, that featured family planning counseling, free contraceptives, free ice cream, and games. Another big event was a series of 15 entertainment activities in Kyiv marketplaces with competitions, games, prizes, and information on family planning and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.

A Group Effort

For over six months, a special multi-ministry coordinating committee, with the Ministry of Health at its head, worked closely with AVSC to make this first-time event a reality.

Many tasks necessary to prepare for this event were new to Ukraine officials. For example, it was not easy for them to obtain signoffs from participating ministries for each collective action and to get the 25 regional health authorities on board. Once the problems had been worked through, however, the advantages that come from broad-based consensus were tremendous.

Success Already Seen

Everyone involved in the planning and execution of the event agrees that something important happened in Ukraine--that regional governments stimulated action and that the public increased its awareness of family planning during National Family Planning Week. In fact, AVSC has already received a report that in one major family planning center, the client load doubled in the week following NFPW.

The Ministry of Health is eager to hold the event again next year--with or without the support of outside agencies--and plans to expand the event into a national festival that will continue to build public awareness of family planning in Ukraine.

Libby Antarsh is the regional director for AVSC programs in Eastern Europe, the Central Asian Republics, and Russia.