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"SIFPSA" ("State Innovations in Family Planning Services Project Agency") is a heath education and family planning programme, funded by a USA grant to the Indian Government, covering the whole state of Uttar Pradesh.
At the beginning of 2002, the APK project was chosen to run a SIFPSA Project, which started on 23rd March. The project ran for two years. It covered the block (a "block" is an Indian administrative area) of Baniakhera with a population of 82,203 and focused on ante-natal care, infant and child immunization, the provision of contraceptives and family planning advice. The staff included a co-ordinator, 5 supervisors and 33 community-based workers (CBDs). All except the co-ordinator were women.
The main workers were the CBDs. They were village-based women whose job was to mobilize the community, promote family planning and maternal and child health services and increase the use of modern spacing methods among young couples. The job was part-time and gave 33 local women of limited education the opportunity to earn some money of their own in an environment familiar to them. It also raised the profile of women’s health care and family planning in an area where there has been very little provision for these.
"The women who spoke at the meeting were remarkably enthusiastic, particularly the five supervisors who, being educated young women, were more confident and articulate. This had been a completely new experience for all the women. For a start, the supervisors had to learn to ride scooters!
I remember several of them saying that when they first went to their designated villages, they felt very nervous, especially as initially no one spoke to them. They kept returning, however, until the day came when someone returned their greeting and began to make them feel welcome. Many of the village women felt that the SIFPSA women were just coming to ensure that they got paid their salaries at the end of the month and not to help them. When they realised that the women were genuine and would make every effort to meet their relevant needs, their attitude changed and that is when the SIFPSA workers began to enjoy their job."
Mukat Singh, the project director, told us of another success story. He had been assured by government officials that one particular rural area was a "lost cause", and that people there were so suspicious of immunisation that they would never accept it. But the project workers went door-to-door, reassuring each of the women, and on the day of the immunisation fair the women were queueing up to get their children immunised!
In the autumn of 2004, the project organised 24 health camps in 8 villages. These villages were identified by the local government department as the most difficult ones where people were opposed to polio drop vaccinations. The camps were organised in advance of the national pulse-polio campaign to encourage local villagers to get their children vaccinated. To their surprise, project workers found no opposition and achieved nearly 100% uptake on the first day of vaccinations. The project's methods and achievement were publicly recognised by the district and higher officers of both the Health and Development Departments of the Government.
In October 2005, a new project was launched. This is primarily a campaign against female foeticide. It is funded by Plan-International who works through an NGO called Vatsalya which is based in Lucknow. For three years, one co-ordinator and five part-time workers will campaign for the registration of births and publicise the law against female foeticide. The aim of the project is to make the public aware of the law and in particular to encourage people to register the births of their children.
Under the DRIVE scheme, you can stay as a guest of the project and learn more about health education, and about grass roots development work in India in general.