Belize City, Belize, July 14, 2023 (PAHO/WHO) – Today, 26 healthcare workers from public and private health facilities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the country completed an Adolescent Health Training of Trainers Program. Through a collaboration of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Maternal and Child Health Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), the healthcare providers have committed to improving quality care and the overall health of adolescents in the country.
In Belize, adolescents account for 22 percent of the country’s population between the ages of 10 and 19 years. At this stage of life, adolescents undergo various physical, cognitive, and psychosocial experiences including the formation of physical and emotional lifestyle patterns relating to diet, substance use, and sexual activity. Considering that many of these conditions have lasting impacts on adolescent health, expanding the provision of health services to adolescents, and building the capacity to effectively manage adolescent clients will ensure that healthcare providers have the capacity to provide quality, equitable, and responsive health services to adolescents and train others to do so.
The training was done in a hybrid format. Participants had to first complete “The Health and Wellbeing of Adolescents,” - an online course on the PAHO Virtual Campus; at the same time, they attended four weekly virtual tutorial sessions with PAHO experts who facilitated discussions on the eight modules of the online course. For this week’s in-person training, participants were paired with facilitators who guided them to develop and deliver presentations on assigned topics, while adapting the content to the Belize context. Each presentation was followed by discussions with fellow trainees and feedback from facilitators. In one practical exercise, trainees had to interact with adolescent actors while applying newly learned tools. Additionally, the participation of Caribbean trainees has allowed for an exchange of best practices and initial ideas for a long-term adolescent health training program in Belize.
Last year, in September 2022, Belize launched its National Adolescent Health Strategy 2019-2030 to improve the positive development of adolescents. This training contributed to Output 2.1.3 of the strategy, the development of a training plan for adolescent health frontline officers in the provision of adolescent-friendly services. In the same way, PAHO/WHO partnered with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the MoHW for the development of the Adolescent Health Strategy. UNICEF has committed to the cascading of the programme in which trainees will facilitate Adolescent Health training sessions in each district.
