Starting from October 2011 meetings on healthcare issues are being organised in three beneficiary village community centres in Tsoghamarg, Torosgyugh and Arpeni. Doctor Karine Haroyan, the officer of WFD health care department, conducts these meetings.
Meetings on the following topics are already conducted in the above mentioned communities: principles of healthy lifestyle, sexual maturity, reproductive health, reproductive right and family planning, stress and ways of overcoming it, and healthy food.
The topics discussed are very necessary and up-to date, because the experience has shown that women and young girls in most of the cases do not have knowledge on reproductive health and family planning, they do not know how to protect themselves from undesirable pregnancy and what kind of problems may occur as result of abortions.
The topic of sexual maturity was especially interesting for the teenagers. This issue is very sensitive and private in Armenia, talks on these topics are generally not common between parents and teenagers especially in the villages. As a result teenage boys and girls have nearly no knowledge about their body or the changes and developments that take place in their organisms. Consequently, lack of information either remains open or is filled by unreliable sources.
Meetings as a rule are held in a very warm and friendly environment. Active participation of the community members and numerous questions directed to the doctor speak about it. According to their words, all discussed topics are very interesting and useful, and the way of their presentation is acceptable and understandable.
Meetings on healthcare issues will go on both in these communities and in other project beneficiary ones.