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PFI Annual Report 2014-2015 |
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Annual Report 2014-15
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Our Governing Board
Dr Vinay Bharat-Ram - Chairman
Mr Rajya Vardhan Kanoria - Vice Chairman
Prof Ranjit Roy Chaudhury
Justice (Retd.) Leila Seth
Prof M S Swaminathan
Mr K L Chugh
Dr Nina Puri
Mr Kiran Karnik
Mr Keshav Desiraju
Prof Dipankar Gupta
Mr Ratan N Tata
Mr Rajiv Mehrotra
Mr Ajai Chowdhry
Dr Syeda S Hameed
The Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India (ex-officio)
Ms Poonam Muttreja
Our Advisory Council
Prof M S Swaminathan - Chairperson
Ms Aruna Kashyap
Dr Gita Sen
Ms Karminder Kaur
Dr Leela Visaria
Dr M K Bhan
Dr Mirai Chatterjee
Ms Mrinal Pande
Mr P D Rai
Dr Saroj Pachauri
Ms Srilata Batliwala
Prof Suneeta Mittal
Mr Sanjoy Hazarika
Mr Yashodhan Ghorpade
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare
Ms Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, PFI
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Annual Report 2014-15
Contents
1. The Chairman’s Message
2
2. From the Executive Director’s Desk
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3. The 13th JRD Tata Memorial Oration
8
4. Advocacy and Communication
10
• Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything)
10
• Bilaspur Report: Robbed of Choice and Dignity – Indian Women Dead after Mass Sterilisation
Situational Assessment of Sterilisation Camps
15
• Realising Commitments to Family Planning in India
17
• Advance Family Planning
19
• Advocacy for Change
21
5. Strengthening Community Action for Health under the National Health Mission
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6. Scaling Up
26
7. Projects in the Field
28
8. Research and Evaluation
38
9. PFI-Health of the Urban Poor Program
43
10. A Journey in Organisational Transformation
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11. Financial Highlights
49
12. Our Partners
51
13. Our Vision and Mission
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Chairman’s Message
We saw a general election and a new government being sworn in last
year. A 150 million new voters ranging from 18 to 23 years were added
since the last general election of 2009. There was much excitement and
debate. For an organisation like Population Foundation of India (PFI),
which sees its mandate as working with the government of the day,
supporting and helping it reach the people with better health care and
gender sensitive and improved policies, election years do tend to become
a time of uncertainty: Will the programmes change? Will the issues we
had been working on continue to be given importance? However, election
years are also time to take stock, to reassess and find solutions.
Though governments may change, they have to deal with the Indian
reality. And the Indian reality is that half our 1.25 billion population is below
25 years, and two-thirds is 35 or below. If we have to make progress on
any front, they have to be our prime focus. A healthy young population with
empowered women and responsible men is the biggest asset a country
can have. To achieve this, apart from focussing on education and skill
development for our girls, we need an accessible and affordable public
health care system that involves men and comes with a certain level
of quality. It is to this end that PFI has been determinedly working and
mounted further efforts this year.
India is among the countries that have the lowest spend on health
compared to its GDP at 1.4%. The total expenditure share on health as
percentage of GDP for Brazil, South Africa and China is 9.3%, 8.8% and
5.4%, respectively. Even among SAARC countries, Afghanistan spends
8.7% of its GDP on health, Maldives 8.5% and Nepal 5.5%.
PFI has been advocating for increasing the budgetary allocation for the
Health Sector to 3% of the GDP. And within the health budget, advocated
for increased funding for components that will lead to improved quality of
services, such as infrastructure, skill development and counselling, and a
greater focus on family planning. The call went out just before the budget.
For the first time ever, family planning found mention in the Economic
Survey presented to the Parliament. Since then, PFI has scaled up its
engagement, and brought out fact sheets and educational material which
has been circulated to Parliamentarians, bureaucrats and the media. The
Bilaspur tragedy in which 16 women lost their lives later in the year came
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Annual Report 2014-15
as a grim reminder on how necessary it is to invest in
quality infrastructure and services. PFI’s investigation
into the tragedy led to a series of recommendations,
which were taken note of by the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare that sent out an official communication
to the states to follow.
As per the District Level Household Survey-3, as many
as 21.3% of eligible couples in India who want to limit
their family size, still do not use any contraceptives.
Moreover, India continues to witness high rates of
maternal and child deaths, with an estimated 56,000
maternal deaths and almost 15.8 lakh children under
the age of five years dying every year. Under age
marriage, early and closely spaced pregnancies,
poor nutrition, lack of hygiene are among the factors.
PFI’s trans-media serial, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti
Hoon focused on these issues in a big way during
Season One. Season Two focuses on adolescent
and women’s empowerment issues. For when women
are empowered with education and have the freedom
to take their life decisions, this translates into better
health for them and their children.
The topic for the 13th JRD Tata Oration by Dr
Babatunde Osotimehin, Under-Secretary-General of
the United Nations and UNFPA Executive Director,
was Dignity and Choice for Girls and Women in the
Post-2015 Framework. He called for reaching out to
girls with education, including comprehensive sexuality
education, information and services they need to avoid
motherhood in childhood. When equipped with skills
and opportunities to participate in the workforce and
in decision making, they transform their communities.
Sexual and reproductive health, he said, is one of
the most cost-effective yet neglected investments in
international development.
While acknowledging India’s progress in reducing
maternal mortality over the years, he pointed out that
there was a disparity. In the wealthiest quintile, skilled
attendance at birth was around 85% in 2005; for the
poorest quintile, the figure was around 13%. Similarly,
while India’s overall contraceptive prevalence has
seen a slow but steady upward trend there were
disparities. In 2005, 35% of the poorest Indian women
of reproductive age were using contraception, while
nearly 60% of women in the richest quintile were.
The oration was attended by a selected and influential
gathering of about 300 senior bureaucrats and policy
makers, representatives of the civil society, bilateral
and multilateral funding organizations, and health and
human rights activists from different parts of the world.
The oration has been widely disseminated so that it
becomes a resource for people in the sector.
PFI has been carrying the voice of the civil society to
the Reference Group for FP2020 through its Executive
Director, Ms Poonam Muttreja. The group sets the
strategic direction for the international forum and is
accountable for ensuring that 120 million more women
and girls have access to voluntary family planning
information, services and contraceptives by the
year 2020. PFI has led the in-country consultations
and advocacy efforts of civil society for shaping the
Sustainable Development Goals.
The exercise of organisational transformation
continued, aimed at making PFI into a world class
organisation. A leading management firm has been
engaged to conduct leadership coaching sessions for
key staff. The Senior Management Team, which was
formed as a part of the organisational transformation
initiative, works under a defined charter, governance
structure, norms, with defined roles and operating
principles. The team meets on a regular basis to
discuss organisational priorities and to take strategic
decisions critical to the organisational growth.
Last year, the PFI Governing Board lost one of its
most valued and respected members, journalist and
writer B G Verghese on December 30, 2014 after a
short illness. B G Verghese, 87, had been on PFI’s
Governing Board since August 1974 and a Holding
Trustee since September 2005. He guided PFI for 40
years with great dedication and commitment to make
a difference to the lives of the underprivileged, whose
cause he often championed in his writings. At the last
meeting that he attended, he proposed that PFI should
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look into the issue of manual scavenging. PFI will soon be embarking on
the study.
To bring more diversity to the PFI Governing Board and benefit from their
guidance, Prof Dipankar Gupta, Mr Rajiv Mehrotra, Dr Syeda Hameed and
Mr Ajai Chowdhry were invited to join the Governing Board. I am happy
to report the presence of Mr Keshav Desiraju, former Secretary of Health
& Family Welfare in the Government of India, on our Governing Board,
and Ms Karminder Kaur, Protection cum Prohibition Officer from Rohtak,
Haryana, on our Advisory Council. They bring in valuable experience and
viewpoint, and will play an important role in shaping the future of our work.
The support by many organisations helps PFI achieve its objectives. I, on
behalf of the Governing Board, thank the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare for working with us in a spirit of partnership. We are grateful to the
state governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for collaborating with us. My
special thanks to Doordarshan and All India Radio for partnering with us
for Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon. I thank DFID, UNFPA, Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, USAID, Save the Children, the David and Lucile
Packard Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
the International Centre for Research on Women, the Asian Development
Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers Private Limited, and the School of Public
Health, Harvard University for working with us.
I wish to end with two quotes from our founder, JRD Tata whose vision
guides us to this day. He said in 1992 when he received the UN Population
Award: “I have always believed that no real social change can occur in any
society unless women are educated, self-reliant and respected. Woman is
the critical fulcrum of family and community prosperity.”
And the other: “So far, the general target of family planning communication
has been married couples and, sometimes, their parents! But what about
the youth? There is urgent need to undertake a systematic education of
the adolescent to prepare them for the tasks of tomorrow.”
Both these quotes sum up the essence of our work last year and in the
year to come.
Dr Vinay Bharat-Ram
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Annual Report 2014-15
From the Executive Director’s Desk
The year 2014-15
was one of the most
challenging, exciting
and rewarding years
in the recent history of
Population Foundation
of India. It was time
when our capabilities
were tested, when we
had balked at putting our
dreams to action. Could we, who had been advocating
women friendly policies and had rolled out innovative
research projects, be able to present to the masses in
an entertaining way our vision of India – where women
were empowered and men caring, and health prevailed?
Would they be with us?
It was the year when our trans media series – Main
Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon – directed by the well known
Feroz Abbas Khan, and launched in March 2014, rolled
out. As episode after episode tackled major issues like
sex selective abortion, child marriage, education and
empowerment for women, nutrition, family planning and
contraceptive use, and domestic violence, we watched
with bated breath.
Fifty two episodes later, the end-line evaluation in
Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, where we had done the
baseline too, showed people’s perceptions, knowledge
and attitudes were changing. Knowledge on the
legal age of marriage, the need for girls to complete
their education and be 18 before getting married had
risen. The perception of the ideal gap between two
children being two to three years had also increased
considerably, as had awareness of family planning
methods both among men and women. And now, more
women were discussing the use of contraception with
their husbands, and were confident in accessing family
planning services.
Best of all, the serial was instilling women with a new
confidence. The number who felt that a woman should
be beaten if she goes out of the house without telling
her husband or refuses to have sex with him had
halved from the baseline. Season One was watched
by an estimated 58 million people across the country.
Household listing data showed that 35.7 per cent of
the households owning TV in the states of Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh, had seen it while 71.8 per cent of all
households who owned a radio had listened to it.
Women in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra
and Uttar Pradesh, who I met during the course of my
travels, were appreciative of the show, but they wanted
us to raise the issue of violence in a bigger way. The
violence, overt and covert, affects the lives of women
of all ages, castes, religions and cuts across class.
Season Two focuses on adolescents and the issue of
physical, mental and verbal violence that women face in
a big way.
We have received support for the series from the highest
quarters for the issues we are raising. The Bihar chief
minister, Mr Nitish Kumar launched Main Kuch Bhi
Kar Sakti Hoon Season Two in Patna and editors from
leading publications came together to support us. They
committed to making more space available in the media
to discuss issues affecting women and their health.
Bollywood actor and director Farhan Akhtar has given
his support to the series too, linking his organisation
MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination), with
Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon. He will soon be seen
as a sutradhar in the coming episodes and the two
organisations will be working together for women’s
empowerment and responsible masculinity.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
selected the serial for promoting the concept of
the Peer Educators for the National Adolescent
Health Programme – the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya
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Karyakram, which seeks to address 243 million adolescents. Through
Season Two, the profile of the peer educator will be developed.
The country has time and again been rocked by deaths at sterilization
camps. There was seriously something wrong in the manner in which
these camps were being held. PFI had been taking up the issue with the
government and NGOs. This time, when the Bilaspur tragedy happened,
PFI led a four organisation team to see what could be done to improve the
situation for the poor Indian women, who were becoming victims. The team,
which had a doctor and public health experts, saw appalling conditions
under which the surgeries had taken place. Prescribed medical protocols
had been disregarded. The report pointed to the errors that had taken place
in the service delivery and gave recommendations on how to prevent such
tragedies and improve the situation for women who wish to space their
children or limit their family size.
The report was widely disseminated and quoted by both the national and
international media. Following PFI’s engagement with the ministry, the Union
government sent a directive to state governments to adopt measures for
improving the quality of care and building the capacity of service providers.
The directive reflects many of the recommendations made in our report.
State governments have been asked to ensure that quality family planning
services are provided in a “spirit of voluntarism and within a rights and
accountability framework”. The ministry has also asked the states to re-
orient all programme officers and service providers on the standard operating
procedures for sterilisation. The engagement by PFI also resulted in the
Economic Survey 2014-15 presented by the Finance Minister acknowledging,
for the first time, the need to reposition family planning priorities and revisiting
incentives for family planning services, particularly sterilisation.
In Uttar Pradesh, the state government invited PFI along with SIFPSA
(State Innovations in Family Planning Services Project Agency) to lead the
review and revision of the state population policy which expires in 2016.
The exercise has been a truly participatory. Over 700 persons including
district magistrates to chief medical officers and their teams right down to the
district level, representatives of panchayats and civil society organisations,
and academics have been involved in the consultations. Four regional
consultations in Allahabad, Agra, Gorakhpur and Moradabad were held
covering the entire state. This was followed by a state-level consultation
in Lucknow. The recommendations that emerged from regional and state
consultations will go into drafting of the population policy that will guide the
state for the next decade.
We believe that India needs to expand the contraceptive choices it offers
its people, given its young population. It becomes imperative that the young
have the means and the choice to plan and space their families. A review by
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Annual Report 2014-15
us of the government expenditure on family planning
under the National Health Mission showed that a mere
1.45% is spent on spacing methods, while 85% goes
for female sterilisation. But 97% of the total expenditure
on female sterilisation is on compensation. Given this
scenario, we mounted efforts to advocate for increasing
the range of contraceptive methods available, improving
quality of care and meeting the unmet need for family
planning. Our young need these basic facilities. If the
unmet need is met over the next five years, India would
have averted 35,000 maternal deaths and 1.2 million
infant deaths! So under our Realising Commitments to
Family Planning project, we are developing fact sheets
and educational material on different contraceptives.
Articles on the need to expand contraceptive choice and
meet the unmet need have also appeared in the media.
PFI also took over the charge of running the national
secretariat of the Advocating Reproductive Choices
(ARC) coalition this January. The coalition comprises 32
member organisations at national level, four technical
support organisations and 126 member organisations
in five focused states. ARC’s advocacy initiatives
focus on addressing issues related to unmet need for
contraception in the country.
PFI has embarked upon an interesting study that aims to
improve the use of government funds on primary health
care and ultimately, services and health outcomes.
The study will track expenditure on primary health care
at the national level and in the state of Bihar. It will
look into resource mobilisation, allocation, utilisation,
efficiency and equity. It will propose potential policy
and operational measures in a resource tracking
and management framework. The study has been
undertaken in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health.
Our pioneering programme, the Health of the Urban
Poor (HUP), has been providing quality technical
assistance to the Government of India and the states
and cities for effective implementation of the National
Urban Health Mission (NUHM) and urban health
components of the National Rural Health Mission. HUP
provided technical inputs to the MoHFW on service
delivery and institutional framework, physical and
financial norms, and budget estimates for the NUHM.
The program developed guidelines, for formulating city
and state urban health plans, and operationalising city
and ward coordination committees, and the Mahila
Arogaya Samitis (MAS). Guidelines have also been
developed for organizing outreach services, and
training modules for orienting MAS and ASHAs. These
guidelines have been adopted by the government.
PFI-HUP worked with the National Health Systems
Resource Centre to develop a national level toolkit
for vulnerability assessment and mapping under
NUHM, drawing extensively from the vulnerability tools
developed under HUP. PFI has trained city health
planners and NUHM programme managers in the use of
the vulnerability assessment.
PFI is now is part of the consortium led by
PricewaterhouseCoopers to provide the technical
assistance for shaping the 300-million dollar loan by the
Asian Development Bank to the government of India to
strengthen the urban health mission.
We continued with our efforts in empowering
communities to take charge of their health. In the past
year, we providing technical assistance to 22 states and
Union territories in scaling up the Community Action for
Health component and helped train officers of 15 states
on its implementation.
It has indeed been a year of great achievement for PFI!
In our own organisation we further streamlined our
financial and administrative processes. We now have
a procurement policy and an anti-sexual harassment
policy in place.
PFI’s work has been made possible by the guidance
provided by the Governing Board and the Advisory
Council, and the dedication and hard work put in by the
staff. PFI remains committed as ever to bringing better
life and health to India’s poor and the marginalised.
Poonam Muttreja
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The 13th JRD Tata Memorial Oration:
Dignity and Choice for Girls and
Women in the Post-2015 Framework
The Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and UNFPA Executive
Director, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, delivered the 13th JRD Tata Memorial
Oration. He spoke on Dignity and Choice for Girls and Women in the
Post-2015 Framework on April 24, 2015 in New Delhi. The oration is an
important event in PFI’s calendar.
Some excerpts from Dr Babatunde Osotimehin’s speech –
On expanding choice: “We need to ensure that the most marginalized
women and adolescent girls are afforded choices that enable them to lead
dignified, productive lives – not least the choice to plan the number, timing
and spacing of their children.”
Dr Babatunde Osotimehin delivering the 13th JRD Tata Memorial Oration in New Delhi.
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Annual Report 2014-15
On the need to focus on
adolescents: “More girls are
finishing primary school, but they are
facing challenges in accessing and
completing secondary education.
Supporting their aspirations – and the
aspirations of all young people – is
key. We need to ensure that the most
marginalized women and adolescent
girls are afforded choices that enable
them to lead dignified, productive
lives – not least the choice to plan the
number, timing and spacing of their
children.”
On disparities in access to health
care: “The proportion of deliveries
Senior government officers, public health experts, economists and researchers from India
and abroad were among the distinguished gathering.
attended by skilled health personnel
rose in developing countries from 56% in 1990 to 67%
in 2011. India has also seen steady upward progress,
and gain the skills she needs to transition into gainful
employment is vital.”
but if we look at skilled attendance by household
“…empowering women and girls and enabling them
wealth quintiles, we see tremendous inequality. In
to make informed choices about their bodies and their
the wealthiest quintile, skilled attendance at birth was
lives is both the “rights” thing to do and the basis for
around 85% in 2005. For the poorest quintile, the
individual well-being and sustainable development.”
figure was around 13%. These disparities in India and
elsewhere illustrate the limited capacity of many health
systems to meet the sexual and reproductive health
needs of poor women, particularly those living in rural
areas or dense urban slums.”
The oration was attended by a diverse audience – high
ranking government officers, senior academics and
researchers, economists and women’s rights activists,
students, members of civil society organisations that
work on health, empowerment and human rights.
On empowerment: “Right now, in Niger or Nepal,
There were dignitaries from abroad as well, including
Mali or Mozambique, Bangladesh or Uttar Pradesh,
members of FP2020.
there is a young girl at a critical turning point. She is
10 years old, with her entire life in front of her. Yet in
a year or two, she might be married and out of school,
another year after that pregnant, and this could start
The full text of Dr Babtunde Osotimehin’s oration
can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=PhBc-uVEqHk.
her on a path that we have seen all too often – to
Instituted in 1990, the lecture series has been named
early childbearing, ill-health, lack of control over
after our visionary founder director. Eminent persons
her life or protection from violence, lack of choices,
and thought leaders who have delivered the oration
with few prospects of achieving her full potential or
in the past include Mr S Chandrasekhar, Mr Somnath
developing her capabilities for herself, her family and
Chatterjee, Mr IK Gujral, Mr Ramakrishna Hegde,
her society. Empowering that 10-year-old girl to delay Mr Digvijay Singh, Dr Manmohan Singh, Ms Najma
childbearing, prevent adolescent pregnancy, and avoid Heptulla, Mr Jamshed J Irani, Mr KC Pant, Dr Nafis
early marriage, and enabling her to stay in school
Sadik, Dr Nitin Desai and Prof Amartya Sen.
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Advocacy and Communication
Social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) and advocacy
informed by evidence are strategies adopted by the Population Foundation
of India (PFI) to address issues around reproductive health and family
planning. Changing social norms and individual behaviour are the focus
of the SBCC efforts, through Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon our flagship
intervention, based on a 360-degree approach for communication. The
approach uses various platforms available from TV, radio, Interactive Voice
Response System to social media and ground-level outreach activities.
Initial evaluation results for Season One have been very encouraging and
Season Two, primarily aimed at young people, has been launched in April
2015 and is expected to reach new heights in enabling change.
We work with policy makers, the media and the private sector to ensure
that policies and programmes match the needs of the communities.
Issues of family planning, sexual and reproductive health and rights,
quality of care in the services provided, women’s empowerment, and
the involvement of men in programmes are part of our core mandate for
advocacy. We work at increasing investment and streamlining expenditure
for family planning and reproductive health, facilitating more effective
implementation of the programmes, expanding the choice of contraceptive
methods available, improving service provision, and enabling families and
individuals, particularly those from socially disadvantaged groups and
women, to exercise decision making for better health.
Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon – I, A Woman, Can Achieve
Anything: http://www.mkbksh.com
Population Foundation of India recognises that gender norms and roles
affect health outcomes. Being female or male has a significant impact on
the health status, as well as access to, and use of, health information and
services. Guaranteeing universal access to equitable and good quality
reproductive health information and services free from coercion and
discrimination is critical for achieving gender equality and ensuring that
women and young people can participate as full members of society.
To address regressive practices such as sex selection, early marriage,
early and repeated pregnancies, under-nutrition of girls, domestic violence
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Annual Report 2014-15
Outreach activity by our NGO partner for ‘Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon’.
and gender inequality prevalent in the country (and
other parts of the world), we conceptualised and
initiated a 360-degree communication intervention
called Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon. Using
a 360-degree communication approach, the
intervention has reached out to intended audiences
through television, radio, mobile phones, social
media (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
mainkuchbhikarsaktihoon; Twitter: @MKBKSH_)
and an intensive outreach by NGO partners in
five districts each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh,
to enhance knowledge, change perceptions and
shift attitudes on these regressive practices. The
results of the endline survey are encouraging. (See
pages 38-41) We believe we have not only been
able to accelerate shifts in societal norms, but have
developed powerful characters, which can be used
to communicate with large audiences for changing
behaviour across the country and beyond.
The fulcrum of the initiative – teleserial Main Kuch
Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (YouTube: https://www.youtube.
com/user/mkbksh; Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/
channels/788987) highlights relevant issues like sex
selection, child marriage, delaying age at marriage,
spacing and quality of care in reproductive health
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through the struggles of a young doctor, Sneha. It aims at changing
attitudes on women’s position in society through the storytelling. The
programme adopts a positive deviance approach - enabling communities
to discover the best practices and local wisdom they already have, and
then to act on them.
Highlights
Television reach: Telecast on DD National, DD India and DD Bihar,
Season One (consisting of 52 episodes), reached out to an estimated
58 million viewers across the country (as per TAM and IRS data). The
popularity of the teleserial has encouraged various regional DD channels
to air this serial, and we are currently in discussion with various regional
DD channel heads to finalise the telecasting of the entire serial. Season
Two (consisting of 78 episodes) was launched on DD National in April
2015 and is telecast every Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 pm.
Radio adaptation: The radio episodes of Season One were aired on
various channels of All India Radio stations, various community radio
stations and a few state level private mobile radio platforms in Jharkhand,
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The findings of the endline
research shows that 83% of households in Madhya Pradesh, and 42% of
households in Bihar with radio were listening to the programme on AIR.
While 155 AIR radio stations reached across the country, the community
radio stations covered an estimated population of 2.3 million people across
the states of Bihar, MP and UP.
Phone - based intervention (http://voice2.gramvaani.org/vapp/
mnews/660/show/tags/QG/): The Interactive Voice Response System
(IVRS) saw a phenomenal response. The national IVRS, which was
promoted via television and radio, received calls from people across the
country, who answered weekly quiz questions related to the serial, shared
their experiences and thoughts related to the issues brought up, and listened
to interesting bytes from celebrities, and title songs. The IVRS received more
than 600,000 calls from 150,000 callers over the six months of Season One,
a majority of whom were women and youth, the primary target audience.
This was evidence that we were reaching out to the right demographic
segment. The mobile vaanis (mobile radio services run by a partner in
Jharkhand, Bihar, MP and Odisha cumulatively received over 5000 calls
from media dark areas in these states. The mobile vaanis along with a few
community radio stations, broadcast the radio episodes for their audiences,
and also ran discussions around the issues. This level of engagement led to
women speaking up about the issues, a first for many of them.
Community outreach: Our 10 NGO partners across Bihar and MP are
working across five districts per state, creating Sneha clubs consisting
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Annual Report 2014-15
of various stakeholders like ASHAs, ANMs, NGO
representatives, peer educators and school
teachers. They, in turn, manage and guide smaller
viewers clubs, which meet frequently to watch the
serial on television, followed by discussions around
the issues which the episode highlights. A total of
429 such viewers’ groups have been formed by our
partners. Master trainers, from the partnering NGOs,
have been trained in using the communication
materials (games, comic books and illustrations) that
help facilitate discussions around the issues. They in
turn, are training the group leaders of the viewers’
clubs in using these materials for discussions.
Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon today is more than
just a trans-media development communications
initiative. It is a call for women to stand up for their
rights to complete their education, marry at the
right age, space and use contraception to plan their
families, and for men to be responsible towards the
health of their families and accept that women too,
can achieve anything they want.
From the IVRS recording:
“I love watching Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon on television. I feel that villages should have healthcare
facilities for women, and roads to cities and towns, so that women can travel easily in case they need
health support. And that women should stand up for their rights like Dr Sneha Mathur (protagonist of the
serial) does in the teleserial.”
Preity Dwivedi, A student from Allahabad
Our Champions
Priya Meena and Vidya Gwala, two friends from
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh have now turned champions
to end child marriage in their own community. Priya’s
parents stopped her schooling when her elder sister
ran away with her boyfriend and got married to him
much against their wishes. Vidya has eight siblings
(six sisters and two brothers) and her parents never
sent their daughters to school after class VII. Both
Vidya and Priya together with support from the
community were able to fight with their own families
against their early marriage and denial of education.
Their persistence and urge to get educated, convinced
their parents to allow them to go to school. “It is our
right to be educated, No one can stop us! Our role
model is Dr Sneha from Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti
Hoon. We wish to become like her,” they say.
From left: Priya Meena and Vidya Gwala with Sharmila Tagore
in Bhopal.
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The launch of Season Two (https://
youtu.be/FalBlLNpsYM)
Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon Season Two was
launched on April 4, 2015 and is being telecast
on DD National at prime time on weekends.
Doordarshan authorities are in the process of
working in 14 Regional Kendras to air the teleserial
(starting from Season One), and also dub where
required. Discussions with the All India Radio
officials are on to start the broadcast of the radio
adaptation of the serial. Outreach and mobile
based interventions (IVRS, mobile radios, and
community radios) activities are in full swing.
The new season, which focuses on adolescent
health, among other important issues of sexual and
reproductive health, nutrition, substance abuse
and gender based violence, is using the following
strategies to reach out and connect to the youth of
the country:
Celebrity engagements and events: Launch
events were held in Patna (April 10, 2015) with
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (http://www.
populationfoundation.in/news/pfi-adri-editors-
come-together-unique-venture-strengthen-
coverage-women-health-and-development), in
Mumbai (April 16, 2015) with Bollywood star and
founder of MARD, Farhan Akhtar, and in Bhopal
(May 29, 2015) with actor Sharmila Tagore.
As part of the Bhopal launch, an award ceremony
was also organized, and five women from
Madhya Pradesh were felicitated to celebrate
their Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon stories of
change.
Recognising the potential for the serial to impact
men, Farhan Akhtar enthusiastically volunteered
tobecome the sutradhar (narrator) for the serial.
The scripting and shooting is in full flow. His
organisation, MARD, is collaborating with
The Bihar Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, launches, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon, Season Two in Patna. Ms Meinal Vaishnav
who plays Dr Sneha in the serial, and director Feroz Abbas Khan are with him.
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Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon to further
women’s empowerment and male
responsibility.
Connect with government schemes: Via
a partnership with the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, the serial will be used to
promote the peer educator component of the
new National Adolescent Health Programme -
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK),
across the country. Scripts will be developed
for branding and to create an aspirational
image of the Peer Educators.
Social media: We have been proactively
working towards strengthening our social
media strategy to increase the reach and
engagement of this initiative across various
platforms and reach out to youth. Doordarshan
has been given the rights to live-stream the
episodes on YouTube. A live tweeting exercise
to promote a press conference by Sharmila
Tagore, Feroz Abbas Khan, director of the
serial and Poonam Muttreja, PFI’s Executive
Director, got excellent reach on Twitter. We are
planning to expand to other relevant platforms.
Ms Sharmila Tagore addresses a press conference at the Bhopal
launch.
Mr Farhan Akhtar (centre) at the Mumbai launch.
The Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon initiative is
being funded by the Department of International
Development (DFID), the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation (BMGF) and the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA).
Bilaspur Report: Robbed of Choice and
Dignity – Indian Women Dead after Mass
Sterilisation – Situational Assessment of
Sterilisation Camps
As part of its core mandate on advocacy, PFI stays
abreast of incidents and cases of negligence leading
to violations of rights and dignity for women. Such
cases are first investigated and subsequently taken up
for advocacy with concerned stakeholders. Following
the death of 16 women soon after sterilisation at
camps in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh in
November 2014, PFI led a multi-organisational fact-
finding team to assess the situation and recommend
corrective action at national and state levels.
The team from Population Foundation of India,
Family Planning Association of India, Parivar Seva
Sansthan and Common Health surveyed the camp
sites, interviewed doctors and support staff involved
in the service delivery. They met with women who
had been sterilised and family members of those
who had died. The findings were presented in a
report titled, Robbed of Choice and Dignity: Indian
Women Dead after Mass Sterilisation (http://
www.populationfoundation.in/resource-center/
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publication/bilaspur-report-robbed-choice-and-dignity-indian-women-
dead-after-mass-s). The report includes a list of recommendations for
Chhattisgarh and the country as a whole.
Analysing the expenditure on family planning, the report points out that
for the year 2013-14, India spent Rs 396.97 crores on female sterilisation,
which constitutes 85 per cent of the total expenditure. A total of 39, 23,945
women were sterilised. A chunk of this amount -- Rs 324.49 crores was
spent on incentives and compensation, and Rs 14.42 crores on the camps
themselves. The amount spent as compensation for female sterilisation
was two-and-half times the untied grants given to Primary Health Centres
for infrastructure strengthening. The huge spends on compensation/
incentives only to bring women to non-functional facilities with poor quality
services that are a health risk, is inappropriate and unacceptable.
Less than 1.5% of the annual expenditure on family planning went towards
spacing methods. The remaining 1.3% was spent on equipment, transport,
Information Education Communication activities and staff expenses.
Similarly, the figures for Chhattisgarh show 85% of the Rs 15.59 crores
spent on family planning went towards sterilising 1,19,104 women. Rs
12.76 crores were paid as compensation and incentives. Only 1% went
towards spacing methods.
The report emphasises that the Government of India, as a signatory to
the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action, must conform to its commitment of
informed free choice and not impose targets or any form of coercion in the
family planning programme.
The report has been widely disseminated to a range of stakeholders from
policy makers at the national and state level to civil society organisations
and academicians. PFI circulated the report to approximately 1,000
people and organisations. PFI also engaged with the media and received
extensive coverage in mainline dailies and television channels both
nationally and internationally.
These efforts, together with individual meetings with senior government
officials, led to a letter being sent out by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MoHFW) to all states to implement the recommendations. The
MoHFW has instructed states to ensure that all operations are conducted
only inside health facilities with working operation theatres. Post-surgery
care, which involves monitoring vitals for at least four hours after the
procedure and instructions for follow-up, has also been emphasised, as
has auditing sterilisation-related deaths. The ministry has also asked the
states to re-orient all programme officers and service providers on the
standard operating procedures for sterilization, and to ensure that quality
family planning services are provided in a ‘spirit of voluntarism and within
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Annual Report 2014-15
a rights and accountability framework’. The service
providers have been asked to ensure that information
is provided on the choices available and also of the
possible side effects.
Realising Commitments to Family
Planning in India
The project aims to track and follow up on the
commitment made by the Government of India at the
Family Planning Summit in London in July 2012 to
include family planning at the core of the Universal
Health Coverage initiative, to shift focus from
limiting to spacing methods, to expand the choice
of contraceptive methods, and to ensure increased
budgetary allocations and expenditure for family
planning. The project commenced in June 2014 and is
currently in its second year of implementation.
Highlights
• A repository of family planning methods: We
have begun to develop a repository of evidence
on various family planning methods, which has
information about the use of each method in
various countries, its effectiveness, cost, side
effects and system requirements. The repository
will have evidence on contraceptive methods
provided in India in the public and private health
systems. Educational material is being developed
based on the evidence to further the programme’s
advocacy initiatives for expanding the basket of
contraceptive choices available in the public health
system.
• Partnering with the government: Meetings
with the Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh (Population
Stabilisation Fund), Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare have been held to explore collaboration
on: (i) Working towards highlighting the importance
of investing in family planning and the existing
gaps with an objective to increase investment and
expenditure for family planning, with particular
attention to birth spacing methods, and (ii)
Working together to dispel prevailing myths and
misconceptions about population issues and
educate key influencers including policy makers.
• Working with the Parliamentarians: We have
been engaging with parliamentarians to increase
their understanding on the importance of health
and family planning.
Ms Poonam Muttreja addressed a meeting
convened by the Speaker of Lok Sabha titled
Women are Central to India’s Development, which
was organised on the Parliament premises in
December 2014. Ms Muttreja’s address focused
on the health needs of women in India, with
specific focus on unmet need for family planning,
and called for adequate investment in quality
family planning services.
A meeting was held with nine parliamentarians
from the Rajya Sabha on March 12, 2015. Many
of the members present were part of the budget
debate in the Parliament. The implications of the
Union Budget 2015-16 on women’s health and
family planning were discussed. All the members
present were convinced about the critical role
of family planning and the need to increase
investment in it. Educational materials were
shared with the members indicating potential
asks that could be brought into the debate during
Question Hour in the Parliament.
• ARC Coalition Secretariat: The Family
Planning Association of India formally transferred
the national secretariat of the Advocating
Reproductive Choices - ARC (www.arccoalition.
org) a coalition of civil society organisations
working in the field of sexual and reproductive
health since 2005, to PFI. The ARC members
made a unanimous resolution to locate the
Secretariat at PFI in recognition of the important
role played by PFI in advocating for expansion
of choice and other aspects of family planning
and reproductive health. This was done at a
Stakeholders’ Consultation on January 29,
2015. ARC has 32 member organisations and
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one individual member at the national level, four technical support
organisations, 136 member organisations and six individual members
in five states. ARC makes concerted and sustained advocacy efforts to
enhance accessibility and expand contraceptive choices.
• Educational collaterals: The development of a series of educational
collaterals on topics related to women’s health, the rights-based
approach to family planning, and family planning methods has been
initiated. These will be used during interactions with key government
officials, parliamentarians, the media and civil society organizations.
A note on Contraceptive Choices was developed and shared with
officials in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Meeting with CSOs on FP2020: Delhi-based national core members
of the ARC coalition met with representatives of the four FP2020 core
partners (USAID, UNFPA, DFID and BMGF) for a discussion on key
family planning issues in the country on March 18, 2015. PFI sought
their inputs on the country’s priorities and concerns to feed into the
Country Engagement Group meeting in Istanbul for FP2020.
• Mapping of CSOs: The process of mapping Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs) at the national level, including coalitions and
institutions working on family planning, reproductive health, and
health financing has also been initiated. The mapping would help in
the identification of CSOs to partner with for advocacy efforts around
improving quality of care in family planning, expanding the basket of
choice and increasing budget allocation and expenditure.
• In the media: Pre Union Budget and post Union Budget 2015-16
press notes, which were released on behalf of the ARC coalition, to
advocate for increased budget allocation on health and family planning
up to 3% GDP, were extensively covered by several publications, both
print and online and in Hindi and English. Among the publications
were The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Zee News,
Business Standard, and Express Health Care. An op-ed piece on
cuts in health expenditure appeared in Economic Times (http://
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/budget-2015/union-budget-2015/
Budget-2015-Jaitley-AIIMS-for-more-but-no-pills-for-health-sector-
ills/articleshow/46416214.cms; http://www.hindustantimes.com/
business-news/public-health-outlay-stagnant-but-aam-aadmi-
gets-incentives/article1-1321797.aspx; http://www.thehindu.com/
news/cities/Delhi/universal-healthcare-still-far-from-reality-says-
ima-chief/article6947507.ece).
Team PFI undertakes research, develops educational briefs, press
releases and responds to queries/requests from the media throughout the
year.
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A V Swamy, Member of Parliament: “Analysis of implications of the Union Budget 2014-2015, educational
briefs and the infographic on family planning have helped me enhance my understanding on family planning
and its impact on maternal health. As a way forward I would like to support expanding contraceptive choices
and increased budgetary allocation and expenditure on family planning and ICDS.”
– http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/
World-Population-Day-Concerns-on-
fertility-rate-replaced-by-declining-sex-ratio/
articleshow/48027191.cms;
– http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/
india-must-propose-family-planning-as-un-
development-goal-experts/105198.html;
– http://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/
news/industry/world-population-day-call-
to-include-family-planning-in-sustainable-
development-goals/48028726;
– http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-ngo-
for-including-family-planning-in-sustainable-
development-goals-2103453;
– http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/
rally-held-to-mark-world-population-day/
article7412606.ece. For example, Ms Poonam
Muttreja, PFI’s Executive Director, was the
lead panelist in NDTV’s debate on Bilaspur
which got nation-wide attention on the need to
improve quality of care and expand the basket of
contraceptive choice.
Studies/ research
The Cost of Inaction study: A study on the Cost of
Inaction in Family Planning has been initiated to
highlight the high opportunity cost paid by India in
terms of individual and family health and well-being,
economic development, and environmental resource
management by not investing adequately in family
planning. The Centre for Public Affairs and Critical
Theory, Shiv Nadar University has been identified to
conduct the study. Two Technical Advisory Group
meetings have been held so far to provide technical
expertise, guidance and direction to the study process.
The Realising Commitments to Family Planning in
India project is supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation.
Advance Family Planning
Advance Family Planning (AFP) is an initiative of 20
partner organisations in nine countries that builds on
the momentum of the 2012 London Family Planning
Summit to achieve the goals of the Family Planning
2020 (FP2020) partnership. The Bill & Melinda Gates
Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
is the lead agency for AFP, providing evidence and
technical resources, coordinating partner and global
advocacy activities, and contributing to the overall
policy development efforts. Population Foundation of
India leads the AFP programme in India, with a focus
on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
AFP’s objectives are to increase financial investment
as well as political commitments needed to ensure
access to quality family planning through evidence
based advocacy in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The
project uses the AFP SMART approach to identify
specific objectives and potential ‘quick wins’ every
year. AFP SMART is a tool used under the AFP
programme for developing an advocacy strategy
by identifying broad goals and smart objectives.
Envisaged as a five-year project, it is currently in the
third year of implementation.
Highlights
• Budget allocated for divisional level quarterly
review meetings in Uttar Pradesh: To bring
family planning at the forefront as a priority, PFI
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advocated with the National Health
Mission (NHM), UP for the need to
introduce a review mechanism at the
divisional level. The review meeting
is an important mechanism not only
for updates on the programme’s
progress, but also because it
provides the opportunity to identify
issues and challenges, and come up
with solutions. A concept note was
submitted along with the state NHM
Programme Implementation Plan and
has been approved.
Group work in progress at the regional consultation for revision of UP Population Policy.
• Population policy of Bihar is
now in the public domain: PFI had
conducted an AFP SMART consultation in Bihar to identify priority
issues for population and family planning programmes in the state.
About 20 organisations had participated. One of the objectives
identified was the need to have state specific population policy. An
advocacy strategy was developed and a small grant was made to a
local organization, NIDAN to take the work forward. NIDAN worked
closely with the Chairperson of the Child Protection and Women’s
Empowerment Committee who raised the need to develop a state
specific policy for Bihar. The Government informed the house that a
population policy for the state had been in existence since 2005. Soon
after, the policy has been put in the public domain.
• Exposure visit by four senior UP officials to Rajsamand district:
PFI organised the visit so that the officers could understand and learn
from the innovative quality of care model which has been adopted
across the district. This also includes the expansion of choice through
public private partnership in the public health system.
• Revision of UP population policy: PFI is partnering with State
Innovations in Family Planning Services Agency (SIFPSA) for the
revision of the UP population policy. As part of the review process,
SIFPSA and PFI together organised four regional consultations in
Allahabad, Agra, Gorakhpur and Moradabad with participation from all
the 75 districts. The recommendations from these consultations will
feed into the revision of the state policy.
• Family planning review meeting orientation: PFI and the National
Health Mission jointly organised a day-long family planning orientation
on the review meeting for all the 18 divisions in Lucknow. The objective
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Annual Report 2014-15
of the meeting was to orient the divisional program
management team on how to use supportive
supervision as a mechanism to make the review
meetings meaningful and productive.
• AFP SMART consultation: A three-day AFP
SMART consultation was organised in Patna with
stakeholders for identifying priority issues around
family planning for Bihar. Post consultation, sub
grants were made to two local organizations in
Bihar for advocacy.
Studies/research
As part of the population policy review for Uttar
Pradesh, a study on the implementation of the
current population policy was commissioned to an
external agency. The study findings will feed into the
development of the revised policy.
In order to enable a meaningful discussion at the four
regional consultations for the review of the population
policy, an analysis of the demographic indicators of all
the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh was undertaken. The
analysis helped in developing region specific agenda,
identifying regional challenges and working out the
solutions.
Advocacy for Change: Repositioning
Family Planning, Promoting Birth Spacing
The project advocates for policy and programme
improvements in three specific areas: (i) delaying
age at first pregnancy (ii) promoting spacing between
births, and (iii) improving quality of care of family
planning and reproductive health programmes at the
national level and in the state of Bihar in particular.
The project in Bihar is being implemented in 60
villages, across 10 panchayats and two blocks in the
districts of Darbhanga and Nawada. The project is in
its third and final year of implementation.
The project aims at strengthening government
programming for family planning at the national level
and in Bihar through advocacy informed by reviews
and analyses of programmatic innovations and
policies. In Bihar, it advocates with stakeholders to
strengthen programming by using a convergence
approach demonstrated at the district level so that
social norms can be changed outcomes improved
around the three key issues.
Highlights
• Training and capacity building of Advocates
For Change: All the 176 Advocates for
Change have been trained on the effective
use of the communication package; roles and
responsibilities, and the importance of the three
key issues on family planning. A workshop was
organized in May 2014 at the Gram Nirman
Mandal, Nawada for identified master trainers,
and NGO coordinators from the two implementing
districts to enhance their facilitation skills.
• Launch of mShakti: A pilot on using an
Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS)
to promote community action for health was
launched. The intervention called ‘mShakti’
uses a call-back number – 09655509555
and has two components. One is to collate,
analyse and develop report cards based on
community monitoring, and the second is to
generate awareness on health entitlements in
the community through an audio learning pack.
As part of this activity, a two-day residential
training was organised for NGO facilitators and
Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) members from
the implementation area on using mShakti. One
round of community enquiry was completed in
the field using the intervention. The intervention
is expected to facilitate easy scale-up of
community action.
• Training material developed: Additional training
material has been developed after a desk review
for Accredited Social health Activists (ASHA),
Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives (ANMs), PRI and
Self Help Groups members encompassing the
three key issues i.e. delaying first pregnancy,
spacing between births and quality of care in
family planning services.
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• A programme review meeting: The meeting was organised to
understand the progress, deviations and required modifications in the
work plan for smooth implementation of the programme.
Study/ Research
An efficacy study has been completed to understand the effectiveness of
family planning counsellors based in health facilities in Bihar. The study
assesses the quality of family planning counselling services being provided
at the health facilities and identifies areas of improvement to facilitate
strengthening and scale up of these services in the state.
The project is supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to
advocate for relevant policies, improving programmes and enabling change
in Bihar and at the national level.
A workshop titled, ‘Health, Women and Development in Bihar: Role of Media’, was organised
on April 11, 2015 with the Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr Nitish Kumar, as the chief guest. Forty
editors and station heads of print and electronic media houses along with over a hundred
senior and mid-level journalists deliberated on the role of media in promoting development,
especially women’s empowerment, health and family planning. The workshop also aimed
at developing a concrete plan to mentor and groom young journalists on reporting on social
issues over a period of time.
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Annual Report 2014-15
Strengthening Community Action for
Health under the National Health Mission
The Advisory Group on Community Action (AGCA),
constituted by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MoHFW) in 2005 to provide policy guidance
and support for community action under the National
Health Mission (NHM), continued to provide technical
assistance to initiate and scale up the component in
the states.
The AGCA consists of eminent public health
professionals and the Population Foundation of India
serves as its secretariat.
During 2014-15, 25 states included this component
in their annual National Health Mission (NHM)
Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) and
17 states so far have got approvals. To further
strengthen and scale-up the implementation of
community action for health, the MoHFW approved
an additional grant to the AGCA to provide technical
assistance to the states.
Highlights
National Level
National Consultation on Community Action for
Health: The AGCA, with support from the MoHFW,
organised a National Consultation on Community
Action for Health on October 28-29, 2014 to share
experiences from community action models and
come up with recommendations to strengthen and
scale-up its implementation over the next phase of
the NHM. The report can be accessed at http://www.
nrhmcommunityaction.org/articles.html.
The consultation brought together 123 participants
from 25 states, including senior government officials
from the National and State Health Missions,
Ms Aruna Roy address the gathering at the National Consultation on
Community Action for Health.
development partners, civil society organisations,
panchayat representatives and the media. Keynote
speakers were Ms Aruna Roy of the Mazdoor
Kisan Shakti Sangathan and Mr Vinod Rai, former
Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The State
Mission Directors and nodal officers presented the
status of the implementation of community action for
health in their states, the challenges faced by them,
and commitments for the way forward. The AGCA
has developed a detailed plan to take forward
community action based on the recommendations
from the consultation.
Resource materials: The Guidelines for
Programme Managers and the User Manual on
Community Action for Health were developed
to guide the implementing organisations and
health managers roll-out the community action
processes at the state, district and block levels.
The Guidelines for Programme Managers elaborate
on the community action processes, while the
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User Manual describes how to
use the tool kit. The documents
can be accessed at http://www.
nrhmcommunityaction.org/
manualstools.html.
These documents were released by
Mr C K Mishra, Additional Secretary
and Mission Director-NHM, MoHFW,
at the National Consultation on
Community Action for Health and
are now part of the orientation/
Mr C.K. Mishra, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, (Third
from right), Mr. Vinod Rai, Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (Far right) along
with AGCA Members releasing resource materials.
training packages to support states
in rolling out the component.
The AGCA team, along with
National Health System Resource
Centre (NHSRC), supported the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in developing a
Handbook on Health for Gram Panchayat Representatives.
State Level
Technical support: The AGCA team provided technical support to 15
state NHM teams1 and nodal organisations to strengthen and scale up
implementation of the community action for health. The support to the
states includes:
– Organising and planning exercises to develop PIPs for the component
in 14 states: - Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
– Orientation of state NHM nodal officers and nodal organisations in
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, West Bengal, and Delhi.
– Support processes for the selection of implementing organisations in
Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
– Support in adaptation of tools, manuals and guidelines in Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, and Meghalaya.
• In Mizoram, the AGCA and SATHI facilitated a two-day consultation
on community processes in December 2014 that was attended by
1 Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh.
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members of the ASHA Resource Centre and the
State Mentoring Group, state-level programme
heads and other stakeholders.
• The AGCA team conducted a study on rapid
assessment of Village Health, Sanitation and
Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) and Rogi
Kalyan Samitis (RKS) in three districts of Uttar
Pradesh. The study explored the functioning of
VHSNCs and the RKSs as well as the issues and
challenges faced by these committees. The study
covered 11 facilities, seven VHSNCs across
three districts – Pilibhit, Sant Kabir Nagar and
Hardoi and conducted 40 exit interviews (both in
the Out Patient and In Patient Departments).
• In Meghalaya, the AGCA organised a workshop
in August 2014 for the state community
processes team and implementing partners. A
detailed implementation plan was developed for
the three intervention districts.
• The State Health Society organised a Jan
samwad in June 2014 in Roopnagar and SBS
Nagar districts of Punjab which was supported by
the AGCA.
• In Delhi, the community action for health process
is being initiated in selected wards/mohallas in
eight districts covering 100 Mahila Arogya Samitis
(MAS). The state and district level NHM officials
were oriented on the processes in April 2014.
• In Uttar Pradesh, a workshop was organised for
the State Nodal Officers in August 2014 where
officials from the State Programme Management
Unit, the State Innovation in Family Planning
Services Project Agency and the Technical
Support Unit participated. The state will now
implement the process in 36 blocks of 18 high
priority districts.
• The state NHM team and implementing
organisation from Maharashtra visited Nagaland in
January 2015 to study the implementation of the
communitisation model and explore possibilities
for adoption of the process in the tribal regions
of Maharashtra. Nagaland had passed the
Nagaland Communitisation of Public Services and
Institutions Act in 2002 to improve public delivery
systems by transferring ownership to
the hands of the community. Under
the Act, user community boards were
set up and the government’s powers
and management functions were
transferred to them. This included
disbursal of salaries and the power to
withhold pay for no work.
• The AGCA team oriented
members of the Mentoring Group
on Community Action in the districts
of Bhind and Chindwara, Madhya
Pradesh, on tools and guidelines in
March 2015.
Mr Hussan Lal, Mission Director, NHM, Punjab sharing the progress on Community Action
for Health in Punjab. (Left to right) Mission Directors (NHM) Ms Sanghamitra Ghosh, West
Bengal; Mr P M Pradhan, Sikkim; Mr M R Synrem, Meghalaya and Mr Manoj Jhalani, Joint
Secretary (Policy), MoHFW.
The work is supported by the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India.
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Scaling Up
Population Foundation of India’s experience with scaling up is largely
rooted in the application of a Scaling Up Management (SUM) framework
developed by Management Systems International. In the Indian context,
the PFI and MSI use the framework to work with pilots in the area of
reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health.
Experience in India, and around the world has shown that for successful
scaling up to occur, there needs to exist an ‘intermediary’ organisation or
organisations that can facilitate the processes of scaling up.
Highlights
Scaling up support for Community Action for Health
Population Foundation of India provided technical assistance to 22 states/
Union Territories in scaling up the implementation of Community Action for
Health, which includes:
- Building capacities of state-level institutions to initiate/scale up
- Providing inputs for the formulation of the community action
component in State National Health Mission Programme
Implementation Plans
- Developing and adapting guidelines, tools and protocols
- Undertaking periodic reviews of the implementation processes in the
field
- Strengthening accountability mechanisms such as grievance
redressal, and display of health service guarantees. (Also see Page
24)
Development of resource material: The Guidelines for Programme
Managers and the User Manual on Community Action for Health were
developed to guide the implementing organisations and health managers
roll-out the community action processes at the state, district and block
levels. A documentary film titled Bringing Public into Public Health was
developed to showcase key experiences, challenges and lessons learnt
from various community action processes being implemented across the
country. The film has both English and Hindi versions. The film can be
accessed at http://www.nrhmcommunityaction.org/films.html
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A monograph on selected national and international
experiences on community action for health was
finalised and has been disseminated. The monograph
captures experiences, learnings and challenges from
community action processes across India and South
East Asia. The document can be accessed at http://
www.nrhmcommunityaction.org/manualstools.
html
A monograph on grievance redressal has been
compiled, which includes experiences, learnings
and challenges in the implementation of the models/
initiatives in India. The document details case studies
of five models – Monitoring cell for ambulance
services in Tamil Nadu, Grievance redressal cells in
Maharashtra, the Social audit of the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana, the Chief Minister’s Online
Scheme in Madhya Pradesh and the ASHA Grievance
Redressal in Odisha. The monograph should help the
MoHFW establish grievance redressal mechanisms
under the NHM.
Sharing knowledge and experience: The PFI made
a poster presentation at the Third Global Health
Research Symposium on Strengthening Community
Action for Health in India. Experiences and lessons
learnt in applying the SUM Framework to scale up
pilots in India were also shared with the participants.
PFI disseminates the SUM Framework to NGOs and
institutions in India and internationally, which continues
to influence the thinking on scaling up.
Scaling up Support for the National Urban
Health Mission
Technical support: PFI has provided technical
support to 12 states – Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Haryana and West Bengal – in building capacities
of state and city-level NHM officials to design and
implement the roll-out of the NUHM.
The PFI in coordination with the National Health
Systems Resource Centre developed national
guidelines for (a) Mahila Arogya Samiti (b) the Urban
Health Nutrition Day (c) Accredited Social Health
Activist and (d) Vulnerability Assessment. The
MoHFW has printed and shared these guidelines with
the states to support the NUHM roll out.
Regional NUHM Workshop: In coordination with
the MoHFW, the PFI organised a two-day Regional
NUHM Workshop in Kolkata, West Bengal, in
September 2014. The workshop aimed to share
city-level learnings on NUHM implementation and
deliberate on potential innovations to address urban
health priorities. Sixty six officials from 15 states
comprising State Mission NHM Directors, State
Nodal Officers and officers from the City Programme
Management Units participated.
Orientation for West Bengal state and city level
staff: The PFI organised a two-day orientation
workshop in Siliguri, West Bengal in August 2014
for state and city level NUHM staff. The workshop
focused on developing a detailed understanding
on the NUHM focus areas and planning processes.
An exposure visit to selected slums was organised,
where the participants got a hands-on experience
on applications of the vulnerability assessment
tools. Forty six officials from District/City Programme
Management Units from nine northern districts/cities
participated.
Dissemination and scaling up planning workshop
for Odisha: In collaboration with the MoHFW,
the PFI organised a state-level dissemination and
scaling up planning workshop in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha in February 2015 to disseminating learnings
from the city demonstration site and develop a
scaling up plan with the city-level stakeholders.
Seventy nine participants, including senior officials
from the departments of Housing and Urban
Development, Health and Family Welfare, Women
and Child Development, Public Health Engineering
Organisation, development partners, representatives
from Urban Local Bodies, NGOs, MAS members from
the four cities of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur
and Rourkela participated.
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Projects in the Field
PFI supports civil society organizations, academic and research institutions
to test innovations in family planning, reproductive and adolescent health
in line with its programme priorities. PFI’s grant making focuses on the
eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states in India, especially areas
with poor demographic and socio-economic indicators. The emphasis is on
innovations that can be scaled up.
Highlights
Grant making manual: PFI has developed a manual for grant making,
which has been reviewed by internal and external experts.The manual
contains guidelines and procedures to be followed for grant making – pre-
grant, grant and post-grant. It contains standard formats, templates and
documentation that will form the foundation of each grant agreement. The
manual also details how the grantee should implement the programme.
The manual will help the staff with the process of assessing applications,
completing due diligence, managing and monitoring grants.
Partners’ meeting: In 2014, PFI organised the first meeting of its Core
Grant partners. The meeting aimed to create a platform for sharing
our collective field knowledge and experiences, support each other in
consolidating the gains, and further advance the collective goals of PFI
and its partners. Eight partners – Agragami India, Centre for North East
Studies and Policy Research (CNES), Institute of Development Studies,
Jagori, Karuna Trust, Save a Mother, Society for Social Uplift Through
Rural Action (SUTRA) and Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC) attended
the meeting. Each grantee shared field experiences, challenges and
lessons learnt during the implementation of their projects.
The meeting was also an opportunity for PFI’s Governing Board Members
to meet and interact with partners. The Governing Board Chairman, Dr
Vinay Bharat-Ram, and members, Dr Nina Puri, Ms Justice (Retd.) Leila
Seth and Mr K L Chugh – participated.
PFI supported seven organisations to execute innovative projects during
the reporting period. Details of the projects can be found on pages 30-33.
Two of the projects are highlighted here.
Finding the triggers of women’s empowerment
PFI supported the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur and FXB Centre
for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University in a research project
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Annual Report 2014-15
There is a dearth of information on rights and entitlements, as well as reproductive and sexual health, among girls enrolled in colleges.
to identify triggers of empowerment, with particular
attention to factors promoting higher educational
opportunities and success for young women, resulting
in delay in age at marriage and pregnancy.
The project studied first generation female college
students (pioneers) from the most marginalised and
non-literate families in Rajasthan who have been able
to overcome economic, social and structural barriers
to gain access to college education and thus forge
their path to personal empowerment. The aim of the
research was to identify the infrastructural supports,
social triggers, and public policies that helped these
disadvantaged young women reach tertiary education.
Rather than focusing on barriers, the project focused
on success or ‘positive deviance’. The project involved
quantitative data collection from 413 Champion
households drawn from 13 colleges across Rajasthan.
Lessons learnt from the project
• There is an urgent need to work with young
women and men enrolled in colleges. At present
there are no forums available at these colleges
where a meaningful dialogue can take place
between young women and men, and teachers.
• There is a dearth of information on rights and
entitlements, as well as reproductive and sexual
health, among the girls enrolled in the colleges.
• There is tremendous potential among the girls
that needs to be harnessed in a positive direction.
A strong need for mentorship at different levels
has emerged clearly from the study.
Increasing contraceptive use in a rural
population
PFI is supporting Save a Mother (SAM) for a project
on population stabilisation in Amethi district of Uttar
Pradesh. The three-year project (2013-2016), is being
currently implemented in 400 villages spread across
12 blocks of the district. The project specifically aims
to increase contraceptive use in a rural population
utilising scientific knowledge in reproductive health
in tandem with community-driven efforts in maternal
and child health, and female literacy, all of which
are integral for population stabilisation. Key to this
intervention is promoting health literacy through
organised social networks, with a focus on women’s
self help groups.
A baseline study of the project, using both
quantitative and qualitative research methods,
was conducted to benchmark key output/outcome
indicators, to help measure the impact at the end of
the project.
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Core Projects of PFI 2014-15
Sl.
No.
Project Name
Implementing
Partner
Project Duration
Geographical
Coverage
Approximate
Demographic
Reach
1 Repositioning Family
Planning in Primary
Health Centres in
Karnataka through
Public Private
Partnership
Karuna Trust,
Bangalore
3 years (April 1,
2012 till March 31,
2015); Extended till
June 30, 2015
14 PHCs from 11
3,13,500
districts of Karnataka people
(Bagalkot, Bellar,
Bidar, Gurbarga,
Raichur, Bijapura,
Gadag, Dharwad,
Belgaum, Devangere,
Chamarajanagar,
Karwar)
2 Ensuring Reproductive Social Uplift 3 years (May 1,
Rights of Women
through
2012 to April 30,
Rural Action 2015)
(SUTRA)
300 gram
6,90,500
panchayats across people
10 development
blocks in 5 districts of
Himachal Pradesh:
Kangra, Mandi,
Sirmaur, Solan and
Una
3 KHUSHALI: A family Agragami
planning programme to India
bring about sustainable
improvement in the
health and well being of
poor and disadvantaged
families in the urban
slum of Madanpur
Khader, New Delhi
3 years (June
2012 – May 2015);
Extended till August
31, 2015.
Madanpur Khader
slum, New Delhi
53,000 people
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Annual Report 2014-15
Goal
Objectives
Empower men and women to lead
healthy, productive and fulfilling lives,
and exercise the right to regulate their
own fertility through family planning
services at the village level.
1. Delay first pregnancy
2. Increase spacing between births
3. Improve quality of care of family planning and primary health care
services through accreditation and continuous monitoring and
review.
Ensure reproductive rights that should
result in better reproductive health,
improved sex ratio at birth, and
increased adoption of non-terminal
methods of family planning.
1. Create ownership of the issue at the community level through
organizations like Mahila Mandals, Ekal Nari Shakti Sangthan and
SHGs
2. Promote change in the health-seeking behaviour in the context of
RTI/STIs
3. Increase women’s access to information on reproductive and sexual
rights, enabling them to choose methods for spacing or limiting
family size
4. Monitor public institutions like government health facilities,
anganwadi centres to ensure necessary support and services, as a
measure to reduce gaps in reproductive health services
5. Create larger forums in the form of Mahila Gram Sabha to address
gender discrimination and promote gender equality.
Demonstrate for future replication
at greater scale (covering another
25,000 population), a cost effective,
comprehensive urban slum family
planning programme that will reduce
fertility, and bring about sustainable
change in the health and well being of
mothers, children and families.
1. Empower adolescent girls and boys aged 15-19 years, to take safe
and responsible reproductive health decisions as they grow into
adulthood, so that age at marriage is increased and the first child is
delayed
2. Increase community acceptance of delaying the first birth till the
woman is 21 years of age, and the use of contraception by couples
to delay the first child
3. Increase community acceptance of a minimum interval of 36 months
between two children, and the use of contraception to space
children
4. Improve access to, and increase acceptance of, long-acting and
permanent contraceptive methods so that small families are
achieved.
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Core Projects of PFI 2014-15
Sl.
No.
Project Name
Implementing
Partner
Project Duration
Geographical
Coverage
Approximate
Demographic
Reach
4 Population Stabilization Save a
3 Years (May 1,
Program
Mother (SAM) 2013 - April 30,
Foundation 2016)
360 Gram Panchayat
in 12 blocks of
Amethi district
(Chatrapati Sahuji
Maharaj Nagar –
CSM Nagar) in Uttar
Pradesh
11,91,000
people
5 Mobilizing the
Centre for
Unreached: Using
North East
Behaviour Change
Studies
Communication and
and Policy
ensuring quality Family Research
Planning service
(C-NES)
through Boat Clinics in
Assam. (Phase II)
3 Years (June 1,
2013- May 31,
2016).
The islands on the 92,605 people
Brahmaputra river in
13 districts of Assam
with a focus on 5
districts (Bongaigaon,
Baroetam Morigaon,
Sonitpur, Dhubri
district)
6 India’s Champions:
Institute of
13 months (October 20 colleges from 10 540 young
Exploring Determinants Development 1 , 2013 to October districts of Rajasthan women
of Young Women’s
Studies
31, 2014); Extended
Empowerment in
till March 31, 2015.
Rajasthan, India
7 Enhance Women’s
Reproductive Health
and wellbeing and
Promote Youth
Awareness and
Empowerment
Jagori Rural
Charitable
Trust (JRCT)
2 years (October 1,
2013 - September
30, 2015)
3 blocks of Kangra 10,000 people
District (Rait, Nagrota in 3 blocks
and Dharamshala) of Himachal
in Himachal Pradesh Pradesh
and Chandigarh.
and nearly
5000 young
girls from
Chandigarh
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Goal
Objectives
The overall goal of the project is
population stabilization. Develop
a replicable model for population
stabilization by systems approach
using effective persuasion through
community activists and persuasive
technology.
1. Double the contraceptive acceptance rate compared to base line
survey.
2. Decrease the unmet need of contraception by fifty percent.
3. Develop prototypes of persuasive tele-messaging techniques.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of tele-messaging.
Strengthen and disseminate family
1. Increase awareness on reproductive health and family planning
planning options through intervention
issues among eligible couples. (15-49 years age group)
in behavior change communication
2. Enable behaviour change through a need based comprehensive
by creating demand for adoption
communication package.
of Family Planning methods and
provision of quality reproductive health
component.
3. Build sustainable local capacities in interpersonal communication
including counseling skills, in delivering quality family planning
services
4. Improve availability and accessibility of modern contraceptives
to eligible couples including services for IUCD insertion and
establishing effective linkages for sterilization services.
5. Address adolescent health through awareness and provision of
regular nutritional supplements.
6. Facilitate and promote gender & social inclusion.
The goal of the Champions Project
is to discover key triggers of girl’s
empowerment and to translate these
research findings in to scalable policy
proposals.
1. To identify triggers of empowerment, with particular attention to
factors promoting higher educational opportunities and success for
young women, resulting in delay in age at marriage and pregnancy.
2. To engage with key stakeholders at local, state and national level on
economic, social and cultural factors impinging on young women’s
access to higher education
The key project goal is to build
awareness regarding sexuality,
reproductive rights, responsibility and
choice related to marriage.
1. Young Women and Men in 30 villages become informed and
sensitized about their reproductive rights and responsibilities.
2. Improved communication and decision making among 50% of
selected young couples.
3. Improved sex ratio in two blocks of Kangra district of the programme
area.
4. Young college students in 4 colleges become sensitive towards
negative impact of early marriage and early and frequent child birth.
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Case study from PFI partner
SUTRA
Towards Gender Equality – Setting an example
In a society obsessed with male offsprings, Babli Devi stands out. This
24-year-old woman took a bold decision to have only one child, that too, a
daughter despite immense family pressure for a male heir.
Married in 2008, Babli Devi of Rampur-Bharapur Gram Panchayat of
District Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh, has studied up to Class X. Mother
of a 4-year-old daughter now, Babli Devi was under tremendous pressure
from the family to try for a son, who they felt, could carry forward their
family name, take care of the ancestral property and also support them
during their old age.
However, Babli Devi’s husband Vijay Kumar, stood by her in this decision.
He said there was no difference between girls and boys nowadays and
that many educated couples settled for only one child, even if it were a
daughter. And this did not mean that their family name would end.
Well aware that their weak financial condition would not permit them
to have more children, the couple also realised that within their limited
resources they could fulfil the needs of one child only.
Babli Devi then shared her decision with the local health worker who
encouraged her to opt for female sterilisation. In December 2012, Babli
underwent tubectomy.
The health worker shared Babli’s story with the anganwadi workers and
the Mahila Mandal (women’s group) members in the area. They started
motivating Babli Devi to become a member of the Kanya Bachao Samiti
(Save the Girl Committee). Our partner NGO, SUTRA, has set up these
committees in some districts of Himachal Pradesh to improve the declining
ratio of female to male children and change the society’s attitude towards
the unwanted girl child. It was felt that Babli Devi had set an example for
the community by not hankering for a son and giving the best possible
education and care to her daughter. Babli Devi became a member of the
Kanya Bachao Samiti in January 2013, and now motivates women to stop
gender-based discrimination in their homes.
Recipient of awards by SUTRA and the State’s Child Development
Department for her contributions to society, Babli Devi is respected and
appreciated for her decision of not having more than one child. The
villagers say if they would have valued the birth of their daughters, they
would not have had two to three daughters in their quest for a son. Babli
Devi says, “I believe both girls and boys are equal. In fact, girls are more
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caring towards parents than boys. I will, therefore, give
good education to my daughter so that she can raise
her head in the society and lead a respectful life.”
Babli Devi is a great change agent who leads by
example.
Case study from PFI partner
JAGORI
Access to information on reproductive and
sexual rights empowers women
Access to correct information on contraception helped
34-year old Jyoti Devi, mother of two, to adopt a long-
term method of family planning and thereby, improve
her married life.
Jyoti Devi, belongs to a Scheduled Caste family
and lives in Patta Badiya village of Kangra district in
Himachal Pradesh. She and her husband did not use
any contraceptives as, according to her, they did not
have proper information about the methods. They felt
ashamed to discuss contraception with anyone and
were hesitant to buy pills or condoms from the health
centre as they did not know how to use them.
Jyoti Devi’s mother-in-law, who is the president of
the Mahila Mandal (women’s group) in the village,
introduced her to the Kanya Bachao Samiti (Save the
Girl Committee) in June 2013. Jyoti Devi, who has
studied up to Class X, is now a member of the samiti
and has also taken part in the training camps for the
samiti members.
Jyoti Devi says, “I would have never been able to
understand my own body or participate in the training
camps, had I not become a member of the samiti. It
was only after participating in the camps and meetings
that I got information about the different long-term
methods of family planning. I also understood
the difference between permanent and long-term
methods of family planning.”
She is happy that she is able to discuss family
planning options with her husband openly now. She
says, “We both felt that as our family is complete
we should adopt some method of family planning.
My husband told me to adopt any method that I feel
comfortable with and which suits me. I informed him
that since IUCD can be used for 10 years and is
available free of cost at the health centres, I would
opt for it. Importantly, it can be removed if we want
another child. My husband agreed and I got an IUCD
inserted at the nearest health centre. So far, I have
not faced any problem with the method, and I have
realised that the health of the woman is a major factor
for the happiness of any family.
Jyoti states, “Associating with the Kanya Bachao
Samiti has improved my life remarkably. I got a chance
to visit the gram panchayat office and attend the
meetings. I have now understood which method of
family planning will be good for me and also started
taking decisions on improving my health. I have let go
of the shame and hesitation associated with discussing
family planning methods and have started speaking
on them openly. Now, I also disseminate information
about these methods among other women.”
Case study from PFI partner
Centre for North East Studies and Policy
Research (C-NES)
Small moves make a big difference
Ajmal Hoque, 27, is a graduate farmer from Kasimpur
island in the Barpeta district of Assam. He says
circumstances forced him to take up agriculture as a
profession rather than seek a ‘decent earning’ from a
government job.
The normally quiet Ajmal showed a keen interest in
the discussions held at an awareness camp on child
marriage and family planning organised in Kasimpur
last year, which is some two and half hour journey
by boat across the Brahmaputra from Barpeta. Full
of questions on the topic, Ajmal took one of the team
members to his house to meet his sister-in-law, Minuti
Khatun, after the camp was over.
Minuti was in her mid-twenties but looked much older.
Married to Ajmal’s elder brother when she was just 12,
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The C-NES Boat Clinic
36
Minuti became pregnant a couple of years later but, unfortunately, lost the
child at birth. The following year, she delivered a baby girl, who drowned
in the Brahmaputra when she was about 18-month-old. By 22, Minuti had
three more children.
Within a span of eight years, Minuti had delivered five children, three
of them when she herself was a child. She never got a chance to go to
school. Societal norms had cost her dearly. She had lost her childhood,
added to which was the despair of having lost her children in quick
succession. Repeated childbirths when her body was still not ready for
motherhood had taken their toll.
Since the birth of her youngest child, Minuti has been using temporary
family planning methods. She and her husband were unwilling to go in for
a permanent method, afraid what would happen if they were to lose their
surviving children.
Ajmal says like Minuti there are many women from the area who suffer
an early set back getting married when still very young. They are anemic,
weak and suffer from many diseases at an early age. “There is no scope
for educative discussion like the one we had,” he says. If we had such
talks, discussions and opportunities more often, and contraceptives were
easily available, many of our women would be much healthier. I have been
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Annual Report 2014-15
able to learn so much. I shall try and pass on whatever
I have learnt to anyone else who seeks my advice.”
As for Minuti, she said she would discuss with her
husband the option of using Copper-T as a long- term
contraceptive method for planning her family.
Case Study from PFI partner
Save A Mother
Counselling helps in bringing about
behavioral change
(The names have been changed as per the request of
the woman.)
Sunita was married to Rajesh in 2014 at the age of
19. She had been allowed to study only uptil Class 5
by her parents. She now lives with her husband, her
parents-in-law, her elder brother and sister-in-law and
their four children in Uttarpara village of Tiloi tehsil in
Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh.
Her sister-in-law’s four children were born in quick
succession within five years. During a house visit, a
field facilitator from Save A Mother visited them and
counselled Sunita and her sister-in-law about maternal
and child health.
During the discussion, the facilitator explained to
them the disadvantages of a girl being married before
the age of 18, and that the first pregnancy should
be at or after 21 years as before that the woman is
young and not ready for carrying a child. She also
emphasised that there should be a three-year gap
bertween pregnancies for the benefit of the health of
the woman and child.
Sunita says: “My sister-in-law is very weak and
anaemic after the pregnancies. We had heard about
female and male sterilisation, but feared side effects.”
The facilitator informed them about the availability of
various family planning methods available such as
condoms, oral pills and the Intrauterine Contraceptive
Devices (IUCD). She also told them in detail about
the benefits of each method. The counseling helped
Sunita and her sister in law get their husbands to use
the condom. They now purchase condoms from the
ASHA.
“I have decided to have my first child after three
years of marriage and we are using the condom
for delaying the first pregnancy. I used to think one
should have a baby soon after marriage. But the
counseling has changed my thinking. Delaying the
first pregnancy by a few years and then spacing
others prevents maternal and child deaths. In fact it is
good for the health of the mother and children,” says
Sunita.
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Research and Evaluation
With strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks and systems in place
for its core grant and donor supported projects, research and evaluation
are a critical part of knowledge management at the Population Foundation
of India.
In the reporting year, baseline evaluation and rapid assessment were
completed for Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (MKBKSH), the edutainment
initiative of the PFI. Other research activities included review of Uttar
Pradesh’s Population Policy implementation, assessment of the
effectiveness of family planning counseling services in Bihar and endline
evaluations of some PFI- supported projects. The results of the MKBKSH
endline evaluation also came in as we were going to the press and we
have included some findings in a box.
Evaluation of – Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon Season One
Research and evaluation are critical components of Main Kuch Bhi Kar
Sakti Hoon. With support from experts, a robust research, monitoring and
evaluation framework was designed for the baseline, midterm and endline
evaluation studies.
The objective was not only to measure changes and impact, but also to
help produce an informed and engaged storyline that resonates with the
viewers.
Baseline
A baseline survey was conducted prior to the launch of the serial in 2014 in
Madhya Pradesh and Bihar by an independent research agency.
To measure the desired change after exposure to the planned
entertainment education intervention, it was imperative to understand the
knowledge, attitudes and perceptions related to age at marriage for girls,
timing for first pregnancy, spacing between births, gender discrimination
and sex selection among the community. Ten districtsi, 40 blocks and
100 primary sampling units (villages and slums) were covered in each
state in the baseline. A total of 1,220 women in the age group of 18-29
i In Bihar- Patna, Gaya, Rohtas, West Champaran, East Champaran, Shekhpura, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi and
Kishanganj districts and in Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal, Indore, Ratlam, Jabalpur, Chhattarpur, Chhindwara, Jhabua, Mandla,
Morena and Khandwa districts.
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Annual Report 2014-15
years, 1,214 men in the age group of 18-34 years,
977 mothers-in-law and 189 frontline health workers
(ASHA , ANM and AWW) were interviewed.
Rapid assessment
In September 2014, PFI conducted a qualitative rapid
assessment to understand viewers’ engagement with
the characters and storyline with the aim of providing
feedback to the production and scripting process for
Season Two. The research methodologies included
in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and tele-
depth interviews.
The findings highlighted that the serial has been
universally appreciated for its content. The name
of the serial -- Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon --
was found to be inspiring, particularly among the
female viewers. The audience reported a liking for
the serial as it was “based on reality”, while most
other soap operas were “based on fiction”. It was,
therefore, able to create a connect with its primary
audience with realistic and relatable characters and
situations. The viewers were of the opinion that
while most of the contemporary serials were largely
promoting traditional practices, MKBKSH questioned
orthodox social-cultural customs and traditions. The
respondents found that most of the entertainment
serials keep extending over trivial matters without
resolution endlessly, while MKBKSH moved along at
a good pace by resolving a social issue in three to
four episodes.
The viewers also found the depiction of rural life in
contemporary India realistic. Its social messaging as
against the frivolous entertainment of other serials
worked in its favour. People identified with the social
issues showcased in the serial and empathised with
the characters and their trials and tribulations. The
protagonist, Dr Sneha, as a confident, independent
professional is believable. While the younger women
find her inspiring, the older women saw her character
as aspirational. It may not be a part of their reality, yet
they find her personality attractive, and some hoped
that their daughters would become like her.
The serial has successfully promoted women’s
empowerment as a key agenda whereas most of the
soap operas depict women in regressive roles (for
example daughter-in-law and mother-in-law strife).
Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon is full of examples of
recommended behaviour. Significant social problems
that were taken up and settled in the first season
include:
• Pre-natal sex determination
• Child marriage
• Family planning
• Son preference and sex selective practices
• Gender based violence
• Alcohol abuse
The timely resolution of issues gives people the
confidence to question these practices. Hence, it
encourages them to believe that, if need be, they would
be in a position to raise their voice on these issues
within their own communities. Callers on the Interactive
Voice Response System (IVRS) frequently left
feedback saying that they had been motivated to raise
their voice on issues such as girls’ education and child
marriage because of the serial. The viewers appear to
be motivated to act on the messages depicted in the
serial as indicated by viewers’ feedback.
Some findings
On ideal age for first pregnancy and gap
between children
• The percentage of women who think that “the ideal
age for a woman to have her first child is 21-25
years” has increased from the baseline figure of
38.2% to 45.8%.
• 63.3% women from the exposed group as
compared to 49% in the non-exposed group
strongly agreed that it is important for a woman
to be physically and mentally prepared before the
birth of her first child.
• Perception about the ideal age gap between
two children being 2-3 years has also increased
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from the baseline figure of 56.9% to 63.4% for
those who have seen the programme in Madhya
Pradesh, and from 54.6% to 64.5% in Bihar.
On awareness of contraceptive methods and
discussion with spouse
• About 58.7% women from the exposed group as
compared to 45.7% in the baseline reported that
they have discussed use of contraception with their
spouse.
• Awareness of family planning methods among
women had increased significantly as compared
to baseline as it was found that 98% were aware
of female sterilisation as compared to 92% in the
baseline; 86% were aware of male sterilisation as
compared to 70% in the baseline.
• Awareness about male condom among women
increased from the baseline figure of 60% to 92%.
• Awareness of family planning methods among men
also increased significantly from the baseline. It was
observed that the awareness of male condom has
increased from 71% in baseline to 98% among the
respondents exposed to the programme.
• Awareness about Oral Contraception Pills (OCP)
increased from 53% in baseline to 94%.
On accessing services
• As compared to baseline figure of 47%, women
who are confident in accessing family planning
services had increased to 58.8%.
• Among youth, more than 60% reported that they
are now confident in accessing family planning
services after marriage if they wish to. The trend
was similar among males and females.
On domestic violence
• When asked about whether a woman should be
beaten if she goes out without telling her husband,
only 25.4% women in the exposed group as
compared to 47.8% in the baseline agreed.
• When asked whether a woman should be beaten
if she neglects the house or children, women who
agreed had decreased from 49.4% in the baseline
to 28.2%.
• When asked about whether a woman should be
beaten if she refuses to have sex with her husband,
only 5.7% women in the exposed group as
compared to 14.5% in the baseline agreed.
• The belief that compared to men, women have
equal ability to hold leadership positions in local
government also increased from a baseline figure
of 56.7% to 77.1% for women who had seen
the programme.
Women who had been exposed to the serial were found to be more confident in
accessing family planning services.
Review of the implementation of Uttar
Pradesh’s Population Policy 2000
http://www.sifpsa.org/initiatives/
population_policy.htm
The PFI reviewed the implementation of the
current population policy of Uttar Pradesh.
The review brings together information on
the experience of implementing the policy
from different sources, including from those
involved in developing it. A comprehensive
three-step approach was adopted to collect
primary data for this study.
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Annual Report 2014-15
Viewers’ comments
“Dr Sneha is confident, fearless and empowered, who inspires other women.” (Focus Group Discussion,
Bihar)
“Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon talks about social evils.” (Tele-depth Interview, Male)
“It is not just a story but is based on the truth around us.” (Tele-depth Interview, Male)
“Unlike other serials, it does not concentrate only on bickering between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law”
(Tele-depth Interview, Male)
“I was browsing channels and stopped when I saw a village scene…MKBKSH shows the change and
development of a village…by changing the thinking of its people” (Male, Bihar)
“If someone is doing wrong to someone else in one episode, the situation starts improving in four to five
episodes. Then, another story begins. But in other serials, 99 out of 100 episodes, will be about bad things
and only the last one will be good. Let’s say, we miss the last episode and what do we remember? Just the
bad things” (Tele-depth Interview, Male)
Endline of Season One
The core objective of the endline evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of the serial in bringing about
change in the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to the family planning issues, age at marriage for
girls, age at first pregnancy, gender-based discrimination and violence and sex selection.
A quasi-experimental, pre and post-test approach was adopted for the assessment. The design for
evaluation was chosen to assess the level of change in knowledge, attitude and practices related to the
issues covered under the programme ‘before’ and ‘after’. It also assessed the impact of the programme
and captured the differences between those exposed and not exposed to the programme. The evaluation
was carried out in sample areas across the states of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
In order to have unbiased data, the field work for data collection was completed before the launch of
Season Two.
In the first step, efforts were made to understand the
programme activities, which had to be implemented,
as per the policy document at the state and district
levels. In the second step, discussions were held
with three categories of stakeholders -- Government
officials and development partners who were involved
in the preparation of the Population Policy 2000, and
those who are currently managing Health and Family
Welfare activities in the state. In the third step, senior
programme officers in the Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare and the officers in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu were interviewed to learn about their experiences
in implementation of their respective state population
policies so that appropriate comparisons could be drawn.
The information received from the surveys, state
government records, and findings from interviews were
analysed simultaneously.
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Efficacy Study on Family Planning Counsellor Services in Bihar
The Department of Health, Government of Bihar and the State Health
Society had decided to revitalise the Family Planning Programme, with
emphasis on postpartum family planning services, especially intrauterine
contraceptive device (IUCD) insertions. For this, the state government
appointed family planning counsellors in 105 select district level health
facilities across the state. The counsellors have been in place for about
a year. The State Health Society requested the PFI to conduct a study
of the counselling service programme in the state to understand how
the counsellors were performing on some defined processes/services/
deliverables.
The PFI conducted the study from September 2014 till March 2015 to
assess the quality of family planning services; the effectiveness of the
counsellors at the health facilities, in terms of increase in number of
family planning users and their level of satisfaction; to identify areas of
improvement through capacity need assessment and work flow analysis;
and to inform policy decision on scaling up of counselling services in the
state.
Qualitative research methods, like indepth interviews, were used to gather
relevant information. Quantitative data from the secondary sources (monthly,
quarterly and annual progress reports)was also analysed. The analysis of
service delivery statistics helped to assess the changes in demand/supply
as a result of the presence of counsellors. Secondary data relating to the
monthly progress reports being submitted by the health institutions was
made available, which was used to assess the number of women coming
to the health facilities for ante-natal care, and the number counselled for
adoption of different contraceptive methods.
Some key recommendations from the study
• Increase ownership of the policy led by the Department of Health &
Family Welfare
• Disseminate the policy to all stakeholders and advocate for its
implementation
• Prepare Annual Action Plans. Implement the activities in synchronisation
with the National Health Mission and other health programmes
• Monitor the implementation
• Rationalise the availability of resources for family planning activities
(Human Resources, Financial, Drugs and Logistics)
• Sustain the interest of the stakeholders
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Annual Report 2014-15
PFI-Health of the Urban Poor Program
The Health of the Urban Poor (HUP) is a USAID
funded program being implemented by a PFI-led
consortium since 2009-10. The program is assisting
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
and eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states
in developing the Framework for Implementation for
the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). Apart
from technical assistance, the HUP program is also
assisting 20 cities (Bengaluru, Kolkata and 18 other
cities in the eight HUP states2) in scaling-up key
NUHM components such as City Health Plans, Mahila
Arogya Samitis (MAS), Urban Health and Nutrition
Day (UHND), Health Management Information
System (HMIS) in urban areas, and the creation of
convergence and monitoring platforms like City/Ward
level Coordination Committees.
Achievements
Regional workshop on NUHM: The Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare and the Population
Foundation of India’s HUP program, jointly organised
the Second Regional workshop on NUHM in Kolkata
on September 25 and 26, 2014. The NUHM Mission
Directors, NUHM Nodal Officers from 13 states and
seven cities participated in the workshop where they
were oriented on specific urban health challenges
related to communicable and non-communicable
diseases.
Training of trainers: To facilitate the implementation
of NUHM, the PFI-HUP conducted a training of
trainers in August 2014 for government functionaries
in Kolkata and Siliguri, which covered topics like
the City Health Plan, Listing and Mapping, Baseline
Survey, Identification and understanding of key
focus population and vulnerability assessment.
Over 90 health and municipal officials from 23 cities
participated in the training.
Support in the preparation of the NUHM Program
Implementation Plans (PIPs): PFI-HUP provided
support to central and state governments on the
estimation of NUHM resource allocation among states;
preparation of state and city PIPs for NUHM, and the
review of state PIPs at the national level.
Resource material developed and customised
to facilitate NUHM
(http://hupindia.org/resources.php?res_
dir=resources/Guidelines): The PFI-HUP assisted
the MoHFW in developing implementation tools and
guidelines for facilitating the NUHM roll out at the state
and city levels, and provided support in customisation
of state-specific guidelines. The PFI-HUP team
centrally developed several guidelines to facilitate
NUHM implementation that were adapted/customised
to suit the local context in areas such as selection
of ASHAs, formation of MAS, Ward Coordination
Committees and Ward Kalyan Samitis, holding of the
Urban Health and Nutrition Day, and IEC material for
anganwadi centres.
Collaboration with Save the Children for saving
newborn lives: The PFI-HUP entered into a year-
long partnership with Save the Children under the
Saving Newborn Lives project for strengthening
maternal and newborn health care interventions
in two of its demonstration cities – Pune and
2 One scale-up city in Bihar (Patna), two in Chhattisgarh (Raipur, Bhilai), three in Jharkhand (Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad),
four in Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Indore), two in Odisha (Cuttack, Rourkela), three in Rajasthan (Ajmer,
Jodhpur, Kota), two in Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow, Kanpur) and one in Uttarakhand (Dehradun).
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Bhubaneswar. The purpose of the collaboration is to integrate the newborn
care component of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health
interventions into the existing HUP city program.
The PFI-HUP facilitated the launch of NUHM in Jharkhand and Bihar.
UPHCs in Public Private Partnership mode: The PFI-HUP team
extended support in plotting the 193 bids and preparing the comparative
analysis for opening of the Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) in
Bihar.
Mainstreaming Mahila Arogya Samitis with NUHM: The PFI-HUP
assisted in the mainstreaming of over 300 MAS in Delhi, Agra, Pune,
Jaipur and Bhubaneswar. The MAS act as community level forums for
health education, support rational health seeking behaviour and also
track utilisation of health services by the slum community. This approach
to communitisation of health is an integral component of the National
Urban Health Mission (NUHM). Hence, after the launch of NUHM in 2013,
Registration of participants at an Urban Health and Nutrition Day.
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Annual Report 2014-15
Visit of US Senators Tim Kaine and Angus King
US senators Tim Kaine and Angus King visited the Health of the Urban Poor program in the Sanjay Gandhi
slum in Delhi on October 8, 2014 to see the sanitation interventions supported by USAID. The senators met
women community leaders, children, and other residents who have benefited from the project activities.
Pune Municipal Corporation adopts MAS formed under HUP Program
Pune Municipal Corporation officially notified (letter no. IHFW/PMC/375 dated March 7, 2015) the decision
to adopt of 60 MAS (slum-level women’s health groups) and 42 ASHAs (slum-level link workers). The MAS
were formed under the Health of the Urban Poor program, implemented by Population Foundation of India
and its consortium partner Plan-India in Pune. The HUP program was started in 2009 to test out some
approaches (MAS and ASHA in slums), which have become part of the National Urban Health Mission
(NUHM). Since then, HUP has been working in close collaboration with the central government, the state
governments and city officials in Jaipur, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Delhi and Agra developing operational
frameworks and guidelines for the NUHM components. Subsequent to the launch of NUHM in 2013, HUP
has been providing support to the central, state and city governments in rolling out the NUHM components,
specifically community processes like MAS, ASHAs and slum level outreach services.
In Pune, these slum level women’s groups (MAS) and the link workers (ASHAs), who were trained for
building awareness of slum households and tracking of RMNCH, nutrition and WASH services, will continue
to do so in future under NUHM. More importantly, the slums under the HUP initiated program will also serve
as learning sites for urban community processes for all other cities in Maharashtra state that are in the
process of establishing these slum level structures under NUHM.
In Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Agra too, where HUP had demonstration programmes, respective state
governments have agreed to adopt the MAS formed by HUP and the link workers under NUHM. These sites
will also be used as learning sites for other cities in the states.
all MAS groups formed by HUP were adopted by
respective city NUHM programme units and integrated
in the overall city health plans.
PFI-HUP’s efforts have led to the formation of 7,067
Mahila Arogya Samitis.
Uploading of HUP developed/supported
documents on the government websites of
Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh: The HUP facilitated in
developing content and uploading NUHM documents
(guidelines/reports/letters/ manuals-http://
hupindia.org/resources.php?res_dir=resources/
Training%20Manuals) on the government websites
of Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Roundtable on CSR for Urban Health and WASH:
The PFI-HUP organised a Roundtable on Corporate
Social Responsibility for Urban health and WASH,
in partnership with the Rajasthan Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (RCCI) on June 26, 2014 in
Jaipur. Representatives from RCCI, the Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry,
Ambuja Cement, Fortis Escorts Hospital, and Narayan
Hrudayalaya shared their perspectives, strategies and
ongoing CSR interventions in healthcare.
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Members of the best performing Mahila Arogya Samitis were facilitated in Pune.
Summit on Positioning Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene: PFI-HUP organised a summit on positioning
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Urban Health
with the Rajasthan government and its consortium
partner, the Institute of Health Management and
Research on June 27, 2014. The objective of the
summit was to bring various stakeholders together
and share experiences and studies done related to the
implication of WASH on urban health.
Studies undertaken during the year
Water, Sanitation, Health and Nutrition
Infrastructure and Facility Mapping of Ranchi City:
Special Focus on Slums and Settlements of Urban
Poor: The study identified and mapped the existing
situation in water, sanitation and hygiene in Ranchi.
Household survey, sanitary inspection and water
quality testing at community water points were carried
out in 15,000 households and 155 community water
points in 215 slums. The findings of the study helped
the government to take remedial steps for improving
the coverage and quality of water and sanitation
services. Activities for awareness on Point of Use have
been included in the State NUHM PIP.
A study for assessing potential contamination
risk in Bhubaneswar slums: A sanitary survey study
was conducted in the 163 HUP intervention slums
of Bhubaneswar with the objective of quantifying
the hazards attributed to community drinking water
sources and supporting the community in taking
remedial actions to protect and improve the supply.
Identification of vulnerable pockets of water-borne
and water-based vector-borne diseases: The
mapping of pockets vulnerable to water borne and
water-based vector-borne diseases was undertaken in
Bhubaneswar slums in identified high risk clusters (hot
spots). The study also demonstrated how the existing
surveillance system can be upgraded for effective
management of disease outbreaks.
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Annual Report 2014-15
A Journey in Organisational Transformation
With the objective of becoming a centre for excellence
with a global presence in the social development
sector, Population Foundation of India (PFI) embarked
upon an organisational transformation journey. The
Human Resource team worked very closely with Hay
Group, a leading management consulting firm, towards
building the capacity of the organisation through
leadership coaching and institutionalisation of the
senior management team.
The Human Resource team also worked to ensure
legal compliances of our policies. The existing Anti
Sexual Harassment Policy was amended as per
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 and
The Sexual Harassment Of Women At Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Rules 2013.
PFI is committed to creating a workplace that is
free of hostility or prejudice towards any individual
or community. We at PFI recognise that equality in
employment can be seriously impaired when women
are subject to gender specific violence, like sexual
harassment at the workplace.
Leadership coaching
PFI is progressing into a leading advocacy and
communication organisation both at the national and
international level. PFI has been shaping the Sexual
and Reproductive Health and Rights and the Family
Planning agenda through participation in processes,
consultations and dialogues. Leadership coaching
significantly contributes in raising the profile of the
institution and advocacy capability and helps build
continuity and creates consistency.
The Hay Group was engaged as a part of the
organisational transformation exercise to initiate and
conduct leadership coaching sessions for key staff.
The objective was to shape and strengthen the
Senior Management Team by proving a structure
that works and recognising the need to build a strong
second line of leadership for the organisation.
The coaching sessions were designed on the
principle of creating self awareness as the
foundation for leadership effectiveness. Through
this intervention, individuals recognised the impact
they were having on their teams and were able to
moderate their leadership style to create a climate
that was most impactful.
Senior Management Team meetings
The Senior Management Team (SMT) was formed as
a part of the organisational transformation initiative.
The team works under a defined charter, governance
structure, norms, with defined roles and operating
principles.
The team was formed to create shared
accountabilities, a compelling direction and focus
to empower the rest of the organisation. The
SMT meetings help in driving decisions through
a structured and transparent approach. The SMT
meetings are planned on a monthly basis, to discuss
organisational strategic priorities and to take strategic
decisions critical to the organisational growth.
PFI is a transparent organisation. The role of
SMT members is also to ensure consistent
communication between SMT and staff. The staff
is informed about the upcoming meetings and the
SMT members discuss the agenda and minutes of
the meeting with respective team members. This
communication fosters trust among colleagues and
the leadership, creating a platform for staff to connect
their contributions to the vision and mission of the
organisation.
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PFI Policy Against Sexual Harassment of
Women at the Workplace
In compliance with the mandate of the Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 and The Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Rules 2013, PFI engaged
Ms Vrinda Grover, a renowned lawyer and women’s
rights activist, to amend the present policy of PFI. The
Internal Complaints Committee was also established.
The new policy, termed as PFI Policy Against Sexual
Harassment of Women at the Workplace, has been
shared and discussed with the PFI’s Executive
Committee and Board members.
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Annual Report 2014-15
Financial Highlights
INCOME
Particulars
Interest/Dividends/Gains on Investments/Misc.Receipts/Incentives & Fees
Rent for Premises
Grants in-aid - International Agencies
Grants in-aid - International Agencies
Total
Particulars
Programme Grants -- Own Funds
Project Implementation Expenses
Management & Administration Expenses
Grants in aid - International Agencies
Grants in aid - National Agencies
Total
EXPENDITURE
Excess of Income over Expenditure transferred to Society Fund
Particulars
Fixed Assets
Investments
Dividends/Interest Receivable on Investments
Cash and Bank Balances
Sundry Deposits
Advances (Unsecured considered good)
Total
ASSETS
2013-14
Rs (in lakh)
273.41
571.01
2273.69
173.32
3291.43
2014-15
Rs (in lakh)
515.20
317.50
2,836.62
132.45
3,801.77
2013-14
Rs (in lakh)
160.57
97.65
266.58
2273.69
173.32
2971.81
2014-15
Rs (in lakh)
187.96
50.49
229.30
2836.62
132.45
3436.82
319.62
364.95
2013-14
Rs (in lakh)
86.46
3474.40
146.98
816.71
1.54
236.81
4762.90
2014-15
Rs (in lakh)
172.13
3146.31
233.98
2078.00
1.84
382.21
6014.47
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Particulars
Corpus Fund
Society Fund
Project Grants -- International Agencies
Project Grants -- National Agencies
Grants-in-kind received
Current Liabilities & Provisions :
-- Current Liabilities
-- Provisions
Total
LIABILITIES
2013-14
Rs (in lakh)
500.00
3139.73
718.89
72.44
247.96
83.88
331.84
4762.90
2014-15
Rs (in lakh)
500.00
3504.68
1717.25
39.16
70.58
159.15
23.65
182.80
6014.47
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Annual Report 2014-15
Our Partners
The Government
PFI partners with various ministries of the Government
of India and their corresponding departments at the
state level:
• Education
• Health and Family Welfare
• Housing and Urban Development
• Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
• Women and Child Development
• Youth Affairs and Sports
• Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati BCI, Ministry of
Information & Broadcasting (MoI&B)
• All India Radio, Prasar Bharati BCI, MoI&B
Donors
• Department for International Development (DFID)
• John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
• Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of
Public Health
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India
• State Health Society Bihar
• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• The International Centre for Research on Women
(ICRW)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Corporate Partner
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), New Delhi
NGO Partners
• Agragami India
• Arthik Atma Nirbharta Samajik Vikas Abhikaran,
Bihar
• Bhoruka Charitable Trust, Rajasthan
• BREAD, Bihar
• Centre for Health Resource Management, Bihar
• Centre for Development and Population Activities
(CEDPA), New Delhi
• Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research
(C-NES), Assam
• Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence
(CURE), New Delhi
• Family Planning Association of India (FPAI),
Odisha
• Gopinat Juba Sangh, Khurda, Odisha
• Gram Nirman Mandal, Bihar
• Gramoday Veedhi, Bihar
• Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR),
Rajasthan
• International Institute of Population Sciences
(IIPS), Maharashtra
• Jagori Rural Charitable Trust, Himachal Pradesh
• Jan Jagran Sansthan, Bihar
• Karuna Trust, Bangalore, Karnataka
• Muskan, Bihar
• Narayani Seva Sansthan, Bihar
• Neha Gramin Mahila Vikas Samiti, Nawada, Bihar
• Parivartan Mohimpur, Bihar
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• Plan India, New Delhi
• Samagra Seva Kendra, Bihar
• Sarvo Prayas Sansthan, Bihar
• Save A Mother Foundation
• Social Uplift through Rural Action (SUTRA), Himachal Pradesh
• Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), New Delhi
• The Institute of Development Studies, Rajasthan
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Our Vision
Promoting, Fostering and Inspiring sustainable and balanced human development with a focus on
population stabilisation through an enabling environment for an ascending quality of life with equity and
justice.
Our Mission
We will strive to realise our Vision by promoting and formulating gender sensitive and rights based
population and development policies, strategies and programmes.
To this end, we will
• Collaborate with central, state and local government institutions for effective policy planning,
formulation and facilitation of program implementation,
• Extend technical and financial support to individuals and civil society institutions and promote
innovative approaches,
• Undertake and support systems, action, translational and other forms of operational research,
• Create awareness and undertake informed advocacy at community, regional, national and global
levels for socio-cultural and behavioural change,
• Focus on un-served, under-served areas and vulnerable sections of society and address the
challenges of an emerging demographic transition,
• Mobilise financial and human resources from all sources both national and international.
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Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area
New Delhi- 110 016, India
Telephone: + 91-11-43894100; Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: info@populationfoundation.in
Website: www.populationfoundation.in
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