One of the activities in the chain of educational events is a 5-day peer education training for trainers on theater-based education, which aims to equip active volunteers of UNDP Information and Communication Technology Centres in Khorezm, Andijan, Surkhandarya, Ferghana, Jizzakh, and Navoi provinces and the volunteers of Kelajak Ovozi with skills and knowledge on training their peers in theater-based education with specific focus on equal rights of women and men and reproductive health.

"This activity is one of the ways we plan to address gender and reproductive health issues among young people who comprise approximately 65% of the country's population," said Ulugbek Zaribbaev, UNFPA Programme Associate on Reproductive Health.

"The overall objective of the workshop is to build the capacity of selected young people to plan, design and deliver high quality theater based peer education training programmes. Consequently, the trainers will return to their provinces and stage theater performances for local youth sensitizing them on gender and RH issues."

It is expected that later on the same national and international partners will further join efforts in organizing a Theater Festival where selected best plays will be performed in the Uzbek Capital.

UNFPA supports peer-to-peer education through Y-PEER youth network in Uzbekistan. The network was established in 2005 and by now has a pool of trainers covering all regions of Uzbekistan.

The Youth network promotes participation of young people in issues regarding the healthy lifestyles through peer-to-peer education, which implies the information sharing between well-trained and motivated young people and their peers (those similar to them in age and background).

This approach helps to ensure, either in an organized or an informal way, that those peers have the optimal knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills to be responsible for and to protect their health and well-being.

Peer education can happen in small groups or through individual contact and can take place in a variety of settings.