JICA "Human Resources Development in Maternal and Child Health" Course Training - Effectiveness of the Fieldwork of Community Maternal and Child Health Activities in the North Hokkaido Area

[I. Introduction] As part of its educational philosophy, our university strives for strengthening of ties with the international community and a contribution to the development thereof. For that reason, a proposal was made to the Ministry of Education, which was accepted, and from 2003, Human Resources Development in Maternal and Child Health training courses has been held on once-a-year basis with the cooperation and co-sponsorship of JICA Sapporo. The participants were nursing staffs from developing countries. In 2003, there were ten participants (from Cambodia, Cameroon, Eritrea, Jamaica, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, and Rwanda), and in 2004 nine of them (from Egypt, Georgia, Laos, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Tanzania). At the planning stage, we decided that the training course would be held at Japan's northernmost college so that participants could experience its unique regional character, and primary consideration was given to participants for being able to observe and learn from issues and measures taken in the actual administration of maternal and child health in a regional area.