| Project
Name: |
Khandani Sehat Wa Babood (Promoting Community Health) |
| Project
Area: |
13 villages in Deeg Block, Bharatpur District, Rajasthan (Mewat) |
| Funding
Agencies: |
Pathfinder International |
| Project
Duration: |
2000 to end of 2005 |
| Overall Goal: |
To set in place concrete mechanisms to increase community awareness & acceptance of reproductive health/family planning, to identify & improve access to reproductive health and family planning services by enhancing skills of locally resident untrained health care providers, and developing an adequate, sustainable referral & service delivery system. |
| Objectives: |
To motivate newly married couples to delay their first pregnancy |
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To counsel women attending Nutrition & Health Day activities to space their pregnancies |
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To convince women with more than 5 children to use a permanent contraceptive method |
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To educate youth about sex and sexuality and familiarize them with the purpose and methods of contraception |
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To improve awareness of, access to and quality of reproductive health and family planning services in the project villages |
| Strategies: |
Link contraception to less controversial subjects such as infant and maternal health |
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Build capacity of local health providers (e.g. ANMs, TBAs, and PMPs) in RH/FP (e.g. safe delivery, making referrals, and contraception). |
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Establish contraception depots staffed by trained volunteers in each of the project villages |
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Create community forums and convene them regularly to discuss various RH/FP topics |
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Conduct home visits to counsel and advise couples on family planning methods |
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Train change agents from the community to work within their own ranks to bring about the desired behaviour changes |
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Organize monthly Health & Nutrition Days |
| Primary
Stakeholders: |
17,000 residents of 13 project villages. Newly married couples, women attending Nutrition & Health Day activities, women with more than 5 children, and youth. |
| Other
Stakeholders: |
Enablers (Community Based Organizations, Peer Educators, Yuva Mandal Members, Mahila Swasthya Sangh members, change agents and religious leaders); Health Care Providers (ANMs, doctors, anganwadis, PMPs, TBAs, and depot holders), the Panchayat, and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate |
| Networking: |
Lady Harding Medical College (Delhi), Jagori |
| Monitoring: |
Management Information System to track and measure the progress of the project |
| Program Review: |
Pathfinder International conducts annual monitoring visits; Representatives from the Department of Community Health, St. John’s Medical College (Bangalore) carried out an in-depth evaluation in 2003-2004 |
| Media Coverage: |
Rojana News Channel, A story about SARD’s quality education and health intervention in Mewat |
| Achievements: |
82% of women have consumed LFA tablets, received two ante natal check ups and 1 postnatal check-up (compared to 2% before SARD’s intervention)
50% of the male population is aware of the purpose and methods of contraception and family planning
46% of couples with more than 5 children use some form of contraception
40% of couples in project villages employ contraception
37% of young couples accept spacing methods/SFN
Increased willingness in the community to pay for value-added services and products in RH/FP
Contraceptives, IFA and ORS is widely available to residents of project village as well as neighbouring villages through depot holders and shop keepers who receive their supplies from SARD and CHC
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ANMs visit the project villages on a more regular basis and provide a better range of RH services
|
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48 change agents have better knowledge of FP and RCH issues (e.g. such as ante & post-natal care, parenting and the use of contraceptives) |
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18 Private Medical Practitioners (PMPs) have better knowledge of RTIs & STIs. They are also better able to motivate people to use contraception |
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9 Mahila Swastiya Sanghs (150 adolescent girls and women) have been organized; MSS members are sharing their knowledge with other women in their communities
9 Yuva Mandals (120 members) have been organized; YM members are sharing their learning and motivating other youth to attend Residential Camps
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