Yunnan Health and Development Research Association

Yunnan Health and Development Research Association -YHDRA  (formerly known as Yunnan Reproductive Health Research Association) was established in March of 1994. It was the first reproductive health related Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) registered in China. It renamed as YHDRA in 2007 to reflect a broadened scope and mission. YHDRA is officially registered with Yunnan Civil Affairs Department as the level one institute. YHDRA is under the administration of Yunnan Science and Technology Association.

YHDRA’s key members are made up of senior and mid-level researchers and professionals in   medical and social sciences. As of August of 2010, YHDRA has 197 members coming from 42 organizations in Yunnan. The organizations include universalities,research and service institutes in maternal and child health, family planning and other reproductive fields, and news agencies.

YHDRA is a World Health Organization cooperative center in reproductive health; national migrant reproductive health resource center; consulting institute for a number of national demonstrative projects, including the project entitled Quality of Care in Family Planning in Central and West China; and  the project entitled Health Promotion Project in Sichuan/Yunnan and Tibet; the Project for Healthy Babies in Tibet and Qinghai/Gansu/Sichuan/Yunnan.

Vision:

Promote the equity in health and development for both men and women.

Mission:

Rooted in the multi-cultural of various ethnic groups of Yunnan, integrating medical and  social   sciences,YHDRA make efforts in health and development research,participatory training at various levels, and community-based social work, policy advocacy, supporting and consultation for decision-makers in governmental sectors and other NGOs, in order to promote health for all and social development.

Organization Culture :

Combine but not uniform differences, equal participation, cross utilization of disciplines,promote creativity and initiatives.

Strategies in Organizational Development:

Promote projectbased approaches and participatory teams.In addition, rigorously hold monthly meetings to provide members with opportunities in individual development and communications.

Main Activities:

Project design, implementation, evaluation and technical support: Conduct design, implementation, and evaluation for projects sponsored by international and national(ministries and commissions) organizations, in health and social development.

Community based social work and services: Provide with training and pilot demonstrative   community-based social work and services. Provide related consultation and technical support to various  government and non-government organizations. Conduct community- based health promotion and volunteer social work and services.

Applied research: Conduct multi-disciplinary studies/action research including  applicable theory studies,applied research, field survey, and academic discussions. Using applied theories to guide practices and social development projects.

Participatory training: Conduct training programs for domestic and international organizations in the areas of health and development. Organize multidisciplinary expert teams to conduct participatory trainings in a variety of modes and topics.

Information sharing: Produce YHDRA Newsletters and YHDRA Translation Series, and other publications.Develop and distribute various information, education and communication (IEC) materials, and host public speeches, workshops and forums. Promote public discussion in health and development.

Policy advocacy: With a focus on vulnerable groups and needs in reproductive rights and health for all,promote equity in health services; and equity in public services and social justice. Actively support national efforts in social development and public health.

Our Specialty:

Two main areas are reproductive health, and environment and health. Given the traditional culture,current conditions and social status, develop multidisciplinary research and action. Particularly prioritized fields or domains include sexual health for adolescents, women’s reproductive track infection (RTI), STD/HIV/AIDS, reproductive health for migrants,women’s rights and their health issues.

Partners:

International organizations, government agencies, societal groups, and community organizations.

Special Characteristics:

Four “Multi” Aspects: Multi-disciplinary, multi-voices,multi-approaches, and multi-levels.

Multi-disciplinary: YHDRA’s member show backgrounds encompass various disciplines in medical  and social sciences, including anthropology, sociology, history studies, ethics, ethnicity, women’s studies, law,preventive medicine, clinical medicine, social medicine,and etc. YHDRA manages to bring the best and most relevant elements of each discipline in addressing any particular issue.

Multi-voices: Through the multi-voice approaches,YHDRA make efforts that all voices are heard  and all inputs from different fields and experts are included. In most cases, such all inclusive approaches will yield an “out of box” solution not blind sighted by traditional wisdom. This is especially true for problems that have been studied but solutions failed in the past.

Multi-approaches: YHDRA deploys numerous approaches based on sound theoretical foundation  and proven practical experiences. These approaches include statistical models, field surveys, evidence-based research, project design/ implementation/ evaluation,IEC material development. These approaches are reflected in participatory teams, social development projects, research projects, scientific seminars, training programs, volunteer social work, and community-based demonstrative projects.

Multi-levels: YHDRA is experienced in operating at international, national, provincial, city, and local levels.Several international conferences and training programs have been successfully conducted by YHDRA. YHDRA has earned her reputation in completing national, provincial,and city government sponsored projects. These projects require not only working closely with multi - level government sponsors but also interact effectively with grassroots constituents such as migrating workers, farmers, ethnic minority populations, and other disadvantaged groups.

Four Combines:

Combining medical sciences / social sciences, theory / practices, international consensuses /Chinese conditions, action research / community -based service.

Emphasis:

Sensitive to gender, and cultural of ethnic minority groups. Application of community-based and participatory approaches.

Special Concerns:

Under developed and remote regions, poor regions, ethnic minority groups, and vulnerable groups.

Some Representative Accomplishments:

Published the first paper on reproductive health in a keynational journal. Published 164 papers in domestic and international peer-reviewed journals, and made 78 presentations at various national and regional conferences in recent years.        

Produced 19 books in reproductive health, and health social sciences, including Reproductive Health and Research:Theory and Practice, Traditional Culture and Reproductive Health, Women-centered Reproductive Health, Community-based Reproductive Health，Health Science in  Multidisciplinary Perspectives， The 6th Asia-Pacific Social

Science and Medicine Conference  (APSSAM 2002) THESIS,Reproductive Tract Infections up-to-date evidences and current research, Public Management and Services for HIV/AIDS Response and etc..        

Hosted the 6th Asia-Pacific Social Science and Medicine Conference in 2002 in Kunming, Yunnan,  China. YHDRA’s chairperson was elected the Secretary General of the Asian Pacific Region Health and Social Sciences Network.                

Conducted 16 international and national conferences and training workshops on reproductive health.                

Recognized as the consultant institution for Chinese national projects entitled the Quality of Care in Family Planning in Central and West China; the project entitled Health Promotion Project in Sichuan/Yunnan and Tibet; and the Project for Healthy Babies in Tibet and Qinghai/ Gansu/Sichuan/ Yunnan.                                            

Selected as one of the World Bank reproductive health training centers in Asia. Selected as one of the 6 global collaborative centers of the World Health Organization in reproducive health training National Resource Center of HIV/AIDS Prevention for Migrant Population by the State Council. National Resource Center in Reproductive Health and Services for the National Population and Family Planning Commission, and Ministry of Health. Yunnan Province Red Cross Psychological Counseling and Support Center.  

Received 1 national science research award, and 9 provincialscience research awards.                                    

During the earthquake in Sichuan May 12th, 2008, YHDRA developed material for psychological support for earthquake victims and also engaged in psychological counseling of rescue workers. Recognized by China Association for Science and Technology as one of the national best organizations in earth quake rescue.