Spot Light On Special Projects

Small Family by Choice Project

Moving from Project to Programme Sustainability

After ten years (1994-2004) the Small Family By Choice Project, funded by IPPF Vision 2000 Fund concluded.

The Project covered the whole districts of Bhopal, Sagar, Vidisha and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh with a population of nearly three million.

The thrust of the Project was to increase the acceptance of family planning through people's participation, simultaneously improving their health and quality of life.

The Project evaluation report shows that contraceptive prevalence rate increased from 36% at the start of the Project to 61% at the end of the Project period. The Project generated a positive health seeking behaviour.

The Project made a visible impact through a holistic approach to development with a focus on sexual and reproductive health rights, women's empowerment and working with young people. The approach adopted was multisectoral collaboration at the District level with forestry and agriculture departments for inclusion of sexual and reproductive health included on the agenda of its departments. A resolution was passed by Panchayats on delaying the age at marriage and sending all girls to school.

The Project had tremendous catalytic effect which reached the State Government (in establishing community delivery rooms), other donor agencies such as DANIDA (adopted the module of TBA training programme), CARE (outreach health services and health funds created by self help groups) and UNICEF (community nutrition education).

The Project established developmental centers which have been handed over to the community as also the main clinic of Vidisha and Raisen; the main clinic in Sagar to a local NGO. The community will sustain all future activities through its own efforts at the local level through fundraising or collaboration with other agencies.

The Project has now become a Regional Training Centre for capacity building of FPA India Branches and Projects and their staff and volunteers in the areas of programme and project development, behaviour change communicating and community participation and extend support to Branches and Projects in the five A's.

"Jigyasa", the Youth Counselling Resource Centre which was started in 2003 offers a complete range of SRH services and will be run by the RTC.

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The Girl Child and Prevention of Female Foeticide Project

The Girl Child and Prevention of Female Foeticide Project is a three-year Project funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and successfully implemented by 10 FPA India Branches - Bhopal, Gomia, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Mohali, Panchkula, Patna, Yamunanagar in six Northern states.

The Project has a three-fold objective.

1. Creating awareness in the community about the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation of Prevention and Misuse) Act enacted by the Government of India and operating since 1st January 1996.
2. Generate strong social disapproval of female foeticide and
3. To mobilize social support in favour of girl children; promote the value of the girl child and equal treatment and opportunities for girls in FPA India's operational areas.

Several success stories demonstrate that the attitude of the community is slowly changing in making girls wanted and cherished by doing away with customs like child marriage, dowry, gender discrimination and prevention of female foeticide.

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SPANDANA

SPANDANA (`Sense of Rhythm') funded by the Bernard Van Leer Foundation has reached the heart of villagers through a successful research based educational campaign using flash cards, posters and manuals on reproductive health issues like pregnancy, delivery as also child care, food and nutrition and immunisation. The result? The reproductive health status of women and adolescents in rural Dharwad was enhanced, creating awareness and a demand for reproductive health services. This was Phase I.

In Phase II (2003-2006) the Project is concentrating on sustainability, impact and replication of the experiment in other settings. The Project is a collaborative venture of Dharwad Branch, J.S.S. Institute of Economic Research, Dharwad and Population Research Centre, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

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DISHA

The Disha Project implemented by Five Branches - Dharwad, Bidar, Lucknow, Trivandrum and Rajkot - has helped young people to access SRH information. The 16 Disha Centres established by the five branches have created a space for young people to meet, discuss healthy lifestyles and have opprtunity to learn income generating skills. The capacity building acitivities helped them to gain confidence to acquire healthy lifestyles.

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Youth Education on Sexuality (YES) Project, Agra

The Project offered a unique opportunity to young persons to improve their sexual and reproductive helath status. It works in 360 villages of Agra district where more than 4 in 10 girls are married by 16 years of age and 6 in 10 become mothers by 18 with almost no exposure to sexuality education.

A network of 822 community groups of young persons and their parents; 418 learning centers known as Yuva Sutras in schools and community settings; and two community resources have been created with facilities for counseling, health care, vocational training, knowledge enrichment as well as recreational and cultural activities. The Project also focuses on advocacy, capacity building, access to information and services and participation in decision-making. Two Youth Action Committees in Kheragarh and Kiroli sub divisions manage the programme.

Sexuality education is given through formal and non-formal channels including distance learning courses. Counseling is done with the help of 4,208 community facilitators comprising peer educators and community counselors. Today, awareness and education in reproductive health issues is high among young boys and girls. A marked change in attitudes and beliefs is visible as well as confidence gained in facing the future.

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Movement Youth-to-Youth Project

Initiated in Khatauli (Muzaffarnagar), Uttar Pradesh involved over 150 Maulvis (religious teachers) working in 65 Madrasas (Muslim religions schools) to help in providing reproductive health education to adolescents studying in these schools. The students in turn shared their knowledge with out-of-school youth.

The expertise with the Project was used in carrying out the innovation in community settings for the adult population. Facilities like installation of hand pumps, public toilets, literacy centers renewed the confidence of the adult population and enabled community gate keepers to promote reproductive health education through Madrasas.

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A Helping Hand to Tsunami Victims: Operation Sea Wave

FPA India has been carrying out relief work in tsunami affected areas through its Branches in Chennai and Hyderabad. The Chennai Branch provided counseling services to people to psychologically recover from the trauma in the Chennai coastal area; collected and distributed relief material in a pack in Kanyakumari district; arranged for clearance and disposal of decomposed bodies and debris in Tharangampadi village of Nagappatinam district; organized a health camp in two villages of Kalpakkam area and identified villages and local NGOs for providing immediate health needs and rehabilitation measures for 4-5 villages as well as for distribution of boats and nets.

Owing to the efforts of FPA India, Meenakshi Temple Trust, Houston USA arranged to donate a boat and nets for the fishermen of Ankalamman Kuppam and purchased and distributed sewing machines to tsunami affected girls through donations received.

The Hyderabad Branch was the first NGO in Andhra Pradesh to extend support to one hamlet by helping 156 families to resume their livelihoods through fishing by providing each family with a fishing net. Other essential materials were also provided to each of them.

The Nagercoil Project in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board provided counseling services in relief camps around 6,000 affected people in Kanyakumari district to cope with the crisis; distributed essential materials and provided social and health care.

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