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PFI Brochure 2010 B |
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Population Foundation of India:
A Memorable Journey
Population Foundation of India (PFI) was
established in 1970 by a group of enlightened,
socially committed and philanthropically inclined
industrialists led by Mr. J.R.D. Tata and Dr. Bharat
Ram. The institution was initially named “Family
Planning Foundation.” It was renamed as Population
Foundation of India in 1993. The institution’s vision
was to supplement and complement governments’
efforts and galvanize voluntary action to support
activities aimed at addressing population issues and
concerns in India.
In the forty years of its existence, PFI has
faced up to the challenges and changing
perspectives of the times. Enabling this process
have been PFI’s periodic reviews of its objectives,
processes, achievements, and relevance. Early in
the 1970s, the foundation sought to promote,
through research and demonstration projects,
family planning among needy couples as a
means of ushering in the small family norm in
the country. By the 1980s, its focus expanded
to promote, again through action research,
family planning as a necessary and integral part
of maternal and child health. The foundation
thus included in its mandate population
stabilization strategies that took into account
other aspects of health, development and social
development believed to influence fertility
behaviour.
In the 1990s, following the ICPD Programme
of Action and a serious deliberation process by
PFI’s in-house experts and a one-day symposium
on Family Planning in the 1990s: Search for New
Approaches, PFI started to look at population
stabilization from a much larger perspective.
This perspective was that of sustainable
human and social development. As a result of
this introspection, PFI strategies to moderate
population growth began including areas of
social development and mobilization.
Vision
Promoting,
Fostering and
Inspiring
sustainable and balanced human
development,
with focus on population stabilization
through an enabling environment
foranascendingqualityoflifewithequity
and justice.
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Currently, PFI’s activities are implemented
within a wider canvas of population stabilization
and sustainable development. In this canvas,
population stabilization is no longer seen as the
sole function of family planning; rather, it is seen
as the function of overall social development.
PFI, emphasizing a gender-sensitive and rights-
based approach, collaborates with central, state
and local government institutions for effective
policy planning and formulation. With the same
Mission
PFI will strive to realize its Vision by
promoting and formulating gender-
sensitive and rights-based population
anddevelopmentpolicies,strategiesand
programmes. To this end, it will
• collaborate with central, state and
local government institutions for
effectivepolicyplanning,formulation
and facilitation of programme
implementation.
• extendtechnicalandfinancialsupport
to individuals and civil society
institutions and promote innovative
approaches.
• undertakeandsupportsystems,
action,translationalandotherforms
of operational research.
• createawarenessandundertake
informedadvocacyatthecommunity,
regional,nationalandgloballevelsfor
socio-culturalandbehaviouralchange.
• focusonun-served,under-served
areas and vulnerable sections of
societyandaddressthechallengesof
anemergingdemographictransition.
• mobilize financial and human
resources from all sources both
national and international.
perspective, it supports organizations – both
governmental and non-governmental – in
programmes that focus on Reproductive and
Child Health (RCH), Family Planning, Adolescent
Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH), HIV/
AIDS and Urban Health. PFI also collaborates
with corporate organizations – as part of their
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in areas
that have a significant bearing on India’s future
as a powerful nation.
PFI focuses particularly on the eight
Empowered Action Group (EAG) states of Bihar,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
In this endeavour, PFI aims to reach the un-
served and underserved areas and vulnerable
sections of society. Women, adolescents and
children are its primary target group. At the
same time, PFI sees male involvement and
engagement with gatekeepers and community
institutions as an integral component of
all its RCH, family planning and ARSH
interventions.
Headquartered in New Delhi, with a staff
strength of over 100 professionals, PFI works in
20 states through 14 offices.
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PFI’s Key Partners Over the Years
• Ford Foundation
• InternationalDevelopmentResearch
Agency (IDRC), Canada
• InternationalPlannedParenthood
Federation (IPPF)
• MCH-STAR/USAID
• MinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,
Government of India and State
Governments
• Plan International, India
• Population Reference Bureau
• Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
• TheBillandMelindaGatesFoundation
PFI’s Notable Strengths
As an institution, PFI is built on three pillars:
• Programme Development and Support
• Research and Evaluation
• Policy Advocacy and Communication
• The David and Lucile Packard
Foundation
• The Global Fund for HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria
• The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
• UNAIDS
• Programme Development and Support • UNDP
PFI provides technical and financial support
to NGOs across the country for implementing
community-based action research projects in
the field of family planning, RCH, ARSH and HIV/
AIDS. It works to build organizational capacities
of NGOs and governments for implementation.
PFI also promotes pilot initiatives and
innovations and provides technical support for
strengthening and scaling up pilots. PFI strives
to achieve the larger objective of strengthening
existing health systems and consequently health
outcomes, contributing to India’s efforts at
fulfilling its commitment to the ICPD Programme
of Action and Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).
• UNFPA
• UNICEF
• USAID
• Research and Evaluation
Research and evaluation has always
been a core strength of PFI. Recognizing the
relevance of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
in strengthening programme implementation,
PFI builds in a strong M&E component
in all its projects. It also undertakes and
supports independent research in key areas,
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using the research findings from both internal and
external projects to strengthen scaling up and
advocacy efforts in the field of RCH, family
planning and ARSH.
• Policy Advocacy and Communication
Building on its strong field presence and
research base, PFI functions as a think-tank,
using its research findings and field experiences
to advocate and influence policy formulation and
implementation at the national and state level.
Over the years, PFI has successfully advocated
a number of issues related to family planning,
RCH and ARSH and has supported a number of
innovations and models for scaling up at the
national and state level.
Partnerships and Alliances
PFI’s journey started as an organization
that brought together and motivated corporate
houses to contribute to the field of population
and health. Currently, PFI provides technical
assistance to a number of corporate houses in
the implementation of their CSR programmes.
PFI has partnered with a number of
international and national Donor Organizations
and Trusts to take forward its mandate on family
planning, RCH and HIV/AIDS.
PFI has also been a part of several
alliances, joining hands with other civil society
organizations to advocate issues of common
concern.
Some Alliances of which PFI is a Member
• AdvocatingReproductiveChoices
(ARC)
• AllianceforYoungPeople:Towardsa
Healthy Future
• CoalitionagainstTwoChildNorm(TCN)
• CoalitionforMaternalandNeonatal
HealthandSafeAbortions(CMNHSA)
• Global Health Council
• National Coalition on Population
Stabilization, Family Planning and
Reproductive Rights
• TheWhiteRibbonAllianceforSafe
Motherhood
Key Corporate Partners of PFI
• ConfederationofIndianIndustry(CII)
• FederationofIndianChambersof
Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
• HimalayanInstituteHospitalTrust
• JK Paper
• JK Tyres
• JKLakshmiCement(adivisionofJK
Corporation Limited)
• Ranbaxy
• Tata Chemicals Society for Rural
Development (TCSRD)
• Tata Motors
• Tata Steel
• Usha Martin Group
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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Governing Board and
Advisory Council
Registered as a society on October 12, 1970,
the Family Planning Foundation was established,
under the Board chairmanship of Mr J.R.D.
Tata and vice-chairmanship of Dr. Bharat Ram,
as an organization aimed at assisting non-
governmental efforts in the country willing to
support the government in its endeavour to help
millions of citizens plan the size of their families.
To make this possible, its Founding Members set
before themselves the task of raising resources
from various industrial and business sources that
would then facilitate undertaking and financing
research and also extend financial assistance
to other organizations who were implementing
family planning programmes.
In 1993 the Family Planning Foundation was
renamed as the Population Foundation of India.
The first Governing Board raised resources of
approximately Rs. 3 million from 149 industrial
and business organizations in its first year. This
effort enabled the foundation to establish itself
as a leading non-governmental organization,
invigorating it to grow from strength to strength
and imbibing a spirit of commitment.
Governing Board
The Governing Board, with advice from
the Advisory Council, determines PFI’s policies
and programme strategies and sets priorities.
Comprising eminent personalities from civil
society, the government and the private sector,
the Governing Board provides direction and
leadership to PFI.
Saluting PFI’s Founding Board
Mr J.R.D. Tata (Chairman)
Dr Bharat Ram (Vice-Chairman)
Dr. Dipak Bhatia
Mr. S. P. Godrej
Mr. A. N. Haksar
Mr. Jaykrishna Harivallabhdas
Mr. H.V.R. Iengar
Prof. J.C Kavoori
Mr. T. S. Krishna
Mr. R. N. Madhok
Mr. Bhasker Mitter
Lady Dhanvanthi Rama Rau
Mr. K. N. Rao
Dr. L. M. Singhvi
Dr. K. L. Wig
Col. B. H. Zaidi
Commodore C. Mehta, AVSM
(Secretary)
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Advisory Council
PFI has an Advisory Council of experts in
related fields, such as sociology, demography,
communications, health services, environment,
education, management, women’s development,
etc. that advises on long-term policies and priority
programmes and from time to time reviews its
achievements to suggest further possibilities.
Current Governing Board
Mr.HariShankarSinghania,chairperson
Mr.B.G.Deshmukh,Vice-chairperson
Dr Vinay Bharat-Ram, Member
Prof. Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, Member
Mr. K. L. Chugh, Member
Dr. Abid Hussain, Member
Mr. R. V. Kanoria, Member
Mr. Kiran Karnik, Member
Mr. J. C. Pant, Member
Dr. Nina Puri, Member
Ms. Justice Leila Seth, Member
Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Member
Mr. B. G. Verghese, Member
Dr.M.S.Swaminathan,PermanentInvitee
Secretary,MinistryofHealthandFamily
Welfare, GoI, Ex-officio Member
Mr. A. R. Nanda, Executive Director, PFI,
Ex-officio Member
Advisory Council
Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, Chairperson
Mr. T. V. Antony, Member
Ms. Mirai Chatterjee, Member
Mrs. Rami Chhabra, Member
Dr. S. D. Gupta, Member
Dr. Bobby John, Member
Dr. B. K. Joshi, Member
Dr. Usha R. Krishna, Member
Mr. Ajay S. Mehta, Member
Dr. Saroj Pachauri, Member
Dr. Yash Pal, Member
Dr. Ragini Prem, Member
Dr. Gita Sen, Member
Dr. K. Srinivasan, Member
Prof. G. P. Talwar, Member
Dr. Leela Visaria, Member
Mr.YashodhanGhorpade,Member
Representing the Young People
A Representative of the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare (currently
JointSecretary,MoHFW),Member
Mr. A. R. Nanda, Executive Director,
PFI, Member
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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Population Stabilization and
Family Planning
India is the second most populous country
in the world, accounting for almost 17 percent
of the world’s population. While on the one
hand positive demographic trends are visible,
with fertility and mortality rates declining,
a fivefold increase in population size in the
last century (1900–2000) emphasizes the
need to strengthen efforts towards population
stabilization.
In absolute terms, Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in
India has declined from 6 births per woman in
the 1960s to 2.7 in 2008 (Sample Registration
System), which is no mean achievement. Several
states of the Union have already achieved
replacement level fertility of 2.1. However,
the pace and magnitude of the decline varies
significantly across states, with some northern
states accounting for large populations
showing a slow decline in fertility. Achieving
replacement fertility in the near future depends
greatly on the effectiveness of these states
in bringing down their mortality and
fertility rates.
Reducing fertility rates, while recognizing the
reproductive rights of individuals and couples,
requires focus on improving “quality of care” in
provision of reproductive health services and a
reduction in the unmet needs of contraception.
It requires the fulfilment of the basic right of
all couples and individuals to have information
about safe, effective, affordable and acceptable
methods of family planning, the freedom to
choose responsibly the contraceptive method,
the number, spacing and timing of their children,
and the right of access to quality reproductive
healthcare services including contraception.
With these efforts will there be a significant
decline in infant mortality and a reduction in the
gap between knowledge of contraception, which
is almost universal, and contraceptive use, which
is only about 56.3 per cent (NFHS-III), bringing
down fertility rates.
PFI and Family Planning
PFI has throughout been in the forefront
of non-governmental efforts to address the
country’s population concerns and establish a
balance between resources, environment and
population. Its focus in the initial years was on
initiating and promoting bio-medical research,
research on socialization patterns and community
behaviour, and undertaking multi-dimensional
population surveys and studies to understand
A Milestone
Mr. J.R.D. Tata, Chairperson of the
Founding Board of PFI, was conferred
the prestigious UN Population Award
for 1992, which gave the Foundation
international recognition for its
contributiontopopulationissue.Inthe
citation read on the occasion at the UN
Headquarters,NewYork,theFoundation
wasdescribedas“thecountry’spre-
eminentnon-governmentalorganization
for field research on family planning”.
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the human dimensions of demography.
With changing global and national perspectives
on population issues and lessons learnt from
experience, PFI over the years has broadened its
perspective and understanding on population. By the
1990s, it viewed family planning both as an integral
part of reproductive and child health (RCH) and as a
function of overall human and social development.
Currently, PFI stands as an organization which
strongly believes that population stabilization is
and should be an integral part of the development
process, and vice versa, essential for ensuring a
better quality of life.
Approaches and Strategies
At the national level, PFI has been funding
research projects of various dimensions aimed at
supporting positive behaviour change in families
and service providers for family planning. The range
of projects extend from the development of new
and more versatile contraceptive technologies to
promoting behavioural response patterns.
PFI builds on its research findings by carrying
out national- and state-level advocacy efforts. It
undertakes regular interface with policymakers and
programme administrators in the government and
the voluntary sector, advocating for critical family
planning and population issues. A key approach
adopted by PFI is the organization of periodic state-
level conferences on Health, Social Development and
Population Stabilization Issues in identified problem
states to highlight primary concerns and advocate
and recommend action points for strengthening
initiatives in the area of reproductive health and
family planning. PFI also publishes analytical
documents estimating specific demographic
indicators to strengthen its policy advocacy efforts.
In addition, PFI either supports or commissions
projects at the state, district and block levels for
furthering family planning efforts and interventions.
These include innovative research programmes on
various aspects of population in the form of action
research/operations research projects, advocacy and
training in family planning, maternal and child health
and related areas. Projects supported by PFI not only
focus on married couples, but include married and
unmarried adolescents from different social and
religious groups.
PFI relies upon Behaviour Change Communication
(BCC) for conveying key messages on family planning.
Its efforts range from policy-level initiatives such as
developing innovative communication strategies for
promotion of family planning in the eight Empowered
Action Group states, for the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, Government of India, to promoting
the use of innovative and traditional communication
methods to deliver key family planning messages.
PFI has several times demonstrated at the state
and national levels that a humane, rights-based
and gender-sensitive approach, addressing the felt
needs of the people and drawing on the strengths
of grassroots institutions, overcomes the challenge of
adopting family planning.
PFI has also been at the forefront of efforts
with the Government of India to reposition family
planning for better maternal and child health. A
National Coalition on Population Stabilization, Family
Planning and Reproductive Rights has been formed
and advocacy materials on the issue including two
short films and a power point presentation have
been developed.
StrongadvocacyeffortsbyPFIresultedinthe
passageofthe91stConstitutionAmendment
2000, which extended the freeze on the
number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State
Assembliestill2026.Theamendmentwaspart
ofthegovernment’scommitmenttohelpinthe
stabilization of population by 2026.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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Maternal and Child Health
Approximately 2 million under-5 children die
in India every year (UNICEF State of the World’s
Children Report, 2007). This represents about
one-fourth of the global burden of infant and
child deaths. Adding to this gloomy statistic is
the status of maternal mortality in India (over
100,000 women a year), which also accounts
for almost one-fourth of the world’s maternal
deaths.
Although committed to reducing this dismal
status, India faces the enormous challenge of
reducing infant mortality from 53 per 1000 live
births to less than 30 and maternal mortality
from 254 per 100,000 live births to less than 100
by 2015. On the face of it, this challenge seems
almost unsurpassable in the given timeframe.
PFI and Maternal and Child
Health
The Family Planning Foundation, precursor
to PFI, was founded in 1970. In its early years
In 1988 PFI organized a National
Dissemination, highlighting the results
of three studies on Correlation of
ReductioninIMRwithReducedFertility.
This brought about remarkable policy
changes and helped sculpt the national
government’sreproductivehealthpackage.
the foundation primarily focused on population
issues through the promotion of family planning
research, awareness and practice. This focus
underwent a shift in the mid 1980s. The shift
was caused by introspection based on the results
of the 1981 census. A need was felt to find out
why population growth rates varied considerably
among different states. Subsequent studies
suggested that reduction in infant and child
mortality had a direct bearing on birth rate.
This spurred PFI to strongly advocate
a change in approach towards population
InfantandChildMortalityinIndia:District
Level Estimates was published by PFI in
2008,estimatingchildmortalityrateand
infant mortality rate at the state and
district levels through indirect method
from Census 2001. The document
highlighted vast rural urban and gender
differentialsininfantmortality,providing
effective evidence for decentralized
planningandforprioritizingchildsurvival
initiatives.
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issues both within itself and outside. Within, it
broadened its vision and scope and included
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) as an integral
part of its family planning efforts. In other words,
PFI directed its focus to integrating essential
primary health services with family planning.
Outside, PFI worked to strongly advocate, and
place on the national agenda the issue that
mothers and children have a basic right to
live, and live well, and that this right should be
recognized by both the family and the state. PFI
began to place increasing emphasis on care of
the newborn, encouraging the adoption and
strengthening of home-based, community-
based and facility-based services for maximum
outreach.
Currently, learning from national and
international experience, PFI has further
expanded its vision and adopted a “Lifecycle
Approach” to Reproductive and Child Health
(RCH), focusing on adolescents, in addition to
women and children, in its efforts.
Strategies
PFI plays a key advocacy role at the national
and state levels for MCH. Its advocacy initiatives
derive their strength from implementation
experience at the district and sub-district levels,
where PFI undertakes and supports a number of
action research projects.
Using data for advocacy, PFI publishes
key analytical documents highlighting MCH
concerns, emphasizing the need for change
based on hard evidence.
PFI also provides technical support to
the government for strengthening its MCH
initiatives, including undertaking evaluations for
the Union and state governments of their health
programmes, such as evaluation of the Maternity
Benefit Scheme (Janani Suraksha Yojana) in
Jharkhand and Phase-II of the behaviour change
communication (BCC) campaign all over the
country, under the National Rural Health Mission
(NRHM).
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At the district and sub-district levels PFI
• provides technical and financial support to civil
society organizations for the implementation
of MCH projects
• focuses on strengthening monitoring
mechanisms
• supports pre-project surveys and post-project
evaluations that focus on
w the demographic impact of interventions; and
w the impact on the quality of care.
PFI’s field-level interventions are directed
towards strengthening the delivery of health
Important MCH Indicators – Current Status vs. Goals
Indicators
Current
Tenth Five Year
Plan
IMR
53 (SRS 2009)
45
NMR
36 (SRS 2007)
26
MMR
254 (SRS 2004-06)
200
NPP
2010
<30
<100
MDG
2015
<30
<20
<100
Notes:
IMR – Infant Mortality Rate
NMR – Neonatal Mortality Rate
MMR – Maternal Mortality Ratio
SRS
– Sample Registration System
NPP
– National Population Policy
MDG
– Millennium Development Goals
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services as well as improving awareness and
empowering women to adopt safe motherhood
and childcare practices, primarily through
capacity building and BCC. In recent times,
PFI through its partner organizations has been
working towards improving male participation
in MCH and family planning programmes and in
empowering self-help groups (SHGs) to take on
MCH activities, in the conviction that economic
empowerment will make women effective
decision-makers, especially for their own health
and that of their children.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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Young People’s
Reproductive and Sexual Health
Young people (10–24 years) comprise
30.7 per cent of India’s population (Census
2001). 21.9 per cent of India’s population
are adolescents (10–19 years). Being better
educated and with better health profiles than
earlier generations, they are both a huge asset
to the country and also a potential challenge,
if not nurtured well. While access to education,
exposure to the electronic media, and wider
academic and employment choices have provided
them with an environment rich in potential and
possibilities, these developments have also
exposed them to great vulnerabilities. Specific to
health, poor information and limited power to
make informed sexual and reproductive health
choices places them at great risk.
From various perspectives, it is critical to
reach out to this vulnerable age group. In the
short term, they are exposed to health risks.
From a long-term perspective, the sexual and
reproductive choices and behaviours they adopt
would determine the future population and
health map of the country.
PFI and Young People’s
Reproductive and Sexual Health
In the late 1980s, PFI partnered with All India
Radio to produce the first drama series aimed
at reaching out to adolescents – a programme
titled Dehleez. Working within the framework
of integrated maternal and child health (MCH),
PFI’s initiatives at the time primarily focused on
creating awareness by giving key sexual and
reproductive health messages to adolescents.
By the late 1990s, PFI streamlined its youth
initiatives, formally adopting and advocating
the lifecycle approach as a means of ensuring
sustainable reproductive health. The approach
PFI was instrumental in the formation of
theIndiaAllianceforYoungPeople:Towards
aHealthyFuturein2003-04.TheAlliance
bringstogetherorganizationsworkingwith
youthonacommonplatform,toshareand
learnfromeachotherandinfluencepolicies
and programmes.
A series of sub-district, district and state
level consultations were organized by the
Alliancein20states,leadingtoaNationalConsultationinmid2004where-intheGlobal
HealthCouncilalsoparticipatedforanopendiscussiononhealthanddevelopmentissues
ofyoungpeople.Recommendationsfromtheseconsultationshavebeenbroughtoutintwo
publications which were widely disseminated.
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mandates the provision of quality healthcare
and nutrition services for the newborn and
children up to 6 years; reproductive and sexual
healthcare to expectant and lactating mothers;
and, most importantly, to pre-adolescents and
adolescents who are likely to be future parents.
Currently, PFI has included young people’s
reproductive and sexual health as a cross-
cutting theme across all its programmes.
Strategies
PFI plays a major advocacy role to place
youth issues and concerns at the forefront
of the national health debate. It focuses
on building networks and alliances among
youth and different civil society players as
well as strengthening capacities of different
stakeholders – bureaucrats, members of the
judiciary,legislators,and NGOs – through training
programmes and sensitization workshops.
Specific to NGOs, PFI focuses on building
their strategic capacities for effective advocacy
and communication initiatives on youth issues.
In order to create opportunities for legislative
advocacy, PFI tracks questions on youth issues in
Parliament. It also undertakes studies and surveys
on the status of family planning and reproductive
health to support advocacy efforts and ensure
implementation of rights-based and gender-
sensitive reproductive health and family planning
programmes targeting youth and adolescents.
Aimed at reaching out to adolescents
with key reproductive health messages, the
programme Dehleez was aired by AIR across the
country in eleven languages.
At the district and sub-district levels, in
partnership with local NGOs, PFI supports
and implements a number of young people’s
reproductive and sexual health programmes
to create education and awareness among
adolescents. Strategies adopted in these
programmes include life skills education
programmes; group counselling sessions by
teachers in schools; peer education approach
for drop-outs; and empowerment of married
and unmarried adolescents.
PFI also supports certain service delivery
initiatives aimed at reducing iron deficiency
anaemia and addressing other health concerns
of adolescents.
PFIhasledthecivilsocietyinputsfordevelopingtheActionPlansfortheHealthsection
of the National Youth Policy, 2003.
PFIhasalsoprovidedtechnicalassistancetotheDepartmentofYouthAffairs,inBihar
andJharkhandindevelopingthestateYouthPolicy,ensuringinputsfromyouthand
organizationsworkingwithyouthatsub-districtanddistrictlevels.InJharkhand,PFIhas
movedbeyondpolicydevelopmenttoassistindevelopingtheYouthPolicyImplementation
Plan through regional consultations.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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Combating HIV/AIDS
An estimated 2.31 million people in India
are living with HIV currently (2007 prevalence
estimates). Although the proportion of People
Living with HIV (PLHIV) is lower than that
previously estimated, India’s HIV epidemic
continues to affect large numbers of people and
is concentrated among high-risk and vulnerable
population groups. Almost two-thirds of the
country’s HIV burden is concentrated in six
high-prevalence states. These states are Andhra
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu in the south and Manipur and Nagaland
in the north-east. The epidemic is also rising in
some districts in low-prevalence states such as
Mizoram (north-east), Rajasthan (west), Bihar
(north), and Orissa and West Bengal (east).
On the whole, with an estimated prevalence
of 0.34 per cent, HIV/AIDS is one of the most
serious health challenges currently facing the
country.
PFI and HIV/AIDS
Reproductive health and family planning
have throughout been PFI’s focus areas. PFI
began with a narrow focus on family planning
as a means to usher in the small-family norm
in the country, but learning from the field, PFI
broadened its perspective to look at family
planning within the broader context of maternal
and child health and social development. PFI,
therefore, included HIV/AIDS in its mandate and
in 2005 started its first HIV/AIDS programme
with support from The Global Fund.
PFI Partners in Round 4 ACT and
Round 6 PACT Programmes
• IndianNetworkforPeopleLiving
with HIV/AIDS (INP+)
• CatholicBishops’Conferenceof
India (CBCI)
• ConfederationofIndianIndustry
(CII)
• Development Association of
Nagaland (DAN)
• EngenderHealthSociety(EHS)
• Freedom Foundation (FF)
• HindustanLatexFamilyPlanning
Promoting Trust (HLFPPT)
• Meetei Leimarol Sinnai Sang
(MLSS), Manipur
• St. Joseph’s Leprosy Hospital
(SJLH) and HIV/AIDS Care
Centre,Tuticorin.
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Initiatives
PFI is implementing the Round 4 and
Round 6 HIV/AIDS programme on Care and
Support in 15 states funded by The Global Fund.
The programmes complement the national
Anti-Retroviral (ARV) Treatment rolled out by
National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).
PFI is currently supporting PLHIV through 219
District Level Networks (DLNs) of PLHIV and
75 Community Care Centres (CCCs) promoting
access to care and support services.
The Round 4 programme, Access to Care
and Treatment (ACT), was implemented in the
six high-prevalence states.
The Round 6 programme, Promoting Access
to Care and Treatment (PACT), enlarged the
operational area for treatment, care and
support to eight highly vulnerable states of
India, namely Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar,
and Chhattisgarh.
Within the ACT and PACT programmes,
PFI through its partner organizations provides
care and support services to PLHIV through the
following service delivery points:
• District Level Networks of People Living with
HIV/AIDS (DLN): DLNs are community-based
organizations of PLHIV and are affiliated to
the Indian Network for People Living with
HIV/AIDS (INP+). DLNs enrol PLHIV and
provide psycho-social support and conduct
support group meetings at the district and
taluka level. They also facilitate PLHIV to
access other care and support services and
government schemes. The emotional support
through peers has been greatly appreciated.
The psycho-social support provided by
DLNs has enabled PLHIV to come to terms
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The corporate provide both infrastructure
and human resources to set up ART Centres.
NACO provides the ART drugs, test kits and
reagents and also trains the human resources.
Seven Corporate ART Centres have been
established in Maharashtra, Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu. Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) advocates with corporates on HIV/AIDS
and facilitates setting up the ART Centres.
with their status, change behaviour, access
treatment, reduce opportunistic infections
and improve health. It has also provided
them with the courage to get on with their
lives productively. Indian Network for People
Living with HIV/AIDS (INP+) has set up and
strengthened 220 DLNs.
• Comprehensive Care and Support Centres
(CCSCs): CCSCs are 50-bed care centres
where PLHIV access free outpatient and
inpatient services for treatment and
management of opportunistic infections.
Services provided in CCSCs are clinical
management, pain management, ambulance
services, psycho-social and nutritional
support. These centres are equipped with
basic laboratory equipment to conduct
investigations. Freedom Foundation has set
up four CCSCs - Guntur and Kakinada in
Andhra Pradesh, Bagalkot in Karnataka and
Trichy in Tamil Nadu.
• Corporate ART Centres: Corporate ART
Centres are an example of public–private
partnership between NACO and the corporate.
• Community Care Centres: CCCs are ten-bed
care centres supported by PFI and functioning
in the eight highly vulnerable states of India
(Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Gujarat, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and
Chhattisgarh). The programme is being
implemented by Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of India (CBCI) and Hindustan Latex Family
Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT). CCCs are
a bridge between the patient and the ART
Centres and provide psycho-social support,
treatment education for drug adherence,
outreach services, treatment of minor
opportunistic infections and referral services.
Additionally, 3 CCCs have been implemented
by PFI under the Round 4 ACT programme in
Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, Dimapur in Nagaland
and Moreh in Manipur.
• Capacity Building: EngenderHealth Society
(EHS) provides training through three
Continuing Education and Training centres.
They train the counsellors, social workers,
peer educators and health providers of
service delivery points established under the
programme.
• Advocacy: PFI facilitates advocacy meetings
at the state and district levels, focusing on
mainstreaming HIV/AIDS and gender equality
in ongoing programmes involving health and
non-health departments. Representatives
from the State AIDS Control Society, district
administration, Panchayati Raj Institutions,
Women and Child Department, Health
Department and NGOs participate in these
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2.8 Page 18 |
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meetings which are organized at state,
district and block levels. These meetings
help build an understanding on HIV/AIDS
issues among various stakeholders and
also help explore avenues for coordination
among stakeholders at the district, block and
community levels. A key focus for advocacy is
also integration of reproductive health and
HIV/AIDS.
PFI also advocates with the corporate sector
through its implementing partner CII.
As part of media advocacy, PFI has conducted
a scanning and analysis of print and television
media reports in the states of Karnataka, Punjab
and Uttar Pradesh. The effort included a series
of consultations at the state level on the role
of media. A resource book ‘HIV/AIDS in News–
Journalists as Catalysts’ was subsequently
developed in English, Hindi, Kannada and
Punjabi.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: PFI has developed
Computerized Management Information
Systems (CMIS) to enable PFI and its partners
to assess their accomplishments and measure
the progress of activities. Partner agencies
are trained to enable service delivery points
to report accurately.
PFI uses the information derived from MIS
to identify issues based on programme needs
and conducts special studies to provide possible
solutions.
Based on the performance of The Global
Fund Round 4 programme, India was invited
to apply for Rolling Continuation Channel
(RCC) by The Global Fund. In order to have a
comprehensive and unified care support and
treatment programme across the country, India
proposed to consolidate Round 4 and Round
6 grants. The Round 4 programme ended in
the month of March 2010 and both R4 and
R6 programmes were consolidated into the
Rolling Continuation Channel programme. This
programme is for six years from April 1, 2010 to
March 31, 2016. The consolidated programme
was renamed as ‘Promoting Access to Care and
Treatment’ (PACT) programme and is being
implemented by PFI from April 2010 in 15 states
of India including the state of Jharkhand.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
|
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2.9 Page 19 |
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Health of the Urban Poor
India is witnessing rapid urbanization. An
estimated 30 per cent of the country’s population
or about 300 million people are living in towns
and cities. Unprepared for such rapid growth,
cities lack infrastructure and basic services. Nearly
one-third of urbanites (100 million) are living in
slums or slum-like conditions characterized by
overcrowding, poor hygiene and sanitation and
absent civic services. The health of the urban
poor is as bad as, if not worse than, that of the
rural population and much worse than the non-
poor in urban areas.
NFHS-III (2005-06) figures highlighted this
dismal urban health status. Nearly 100,000
babies in slums in India die every year before
their fifth birthday. Poor access to healthcare,
poor nutrition and health-seeking behaviour,
poor environmental conditions and resultant
high prevalence of infectious diseases are all
believed to be contributors to high maternal and
child morbidity and mortality among the urban
poor. Compounding this challenge is the rapidly
growing slum population, with total fertility rate
(TFR) of 2.8, more than the national average of
2.7, and the growing in-migration to towns and
cities. Another factor is that slums are mainly
illegally inhabited areas, vulnerable to eviction,
rapid migration and mobility.
Withelementsofsustainabilitylikeequity,
empoweredcommunityparticipationand
action, strong governance and active
involvementofgovernmentatalllevels,the
HealthoftheUrbanPoorProgrammeintends
to ensure sustainable health outcomes.
PFI-USAID/India Partners in HUP
Programme
The HUP Programme initiated by PFI and
USAID/Indiahassevenpartners.They
offer expertise in different fields:
• Bhorukha Charitable Trust
w NGO mobilization
• CARE India
w NutritionandCommunityActions
• CEDPA
w Gender and Advocacy
• IIHMR
w NGO mobilization and Health
Systems Improvement
• IndianInstituteofPopulationStudies,
Mumbai
w Capacity building
w Researchanddocumentation
• MICRO Insurance Academy
w Community-basedmicro-health
insurance
• Plan-India
w Water and Sanitation
Health of Urban Poor (HUP)
Programme
Although PFI has been supporting action
research projects on maternal and child health
(MCH) in urban areas in partnership with NGOs,
these initiatives were limited in scope and geo-
graphic reach. With the declining status of ur-
ban health and the emerging need to increase
efforts to strengthen primary health initiatives in
urban areas, PFI, in October 2009 entered into
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2.10 Page 20 |
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a partnership with USAID/India to start a compre-
hensive “Health of the Urban Poor” Programme. The
programme envisages the development of a respon-
sive, functional and sustainable urban health system
that provides need-based, affordable, accessible and
quality healthcare and improved sanitation and hy-
giene for the urban poor in eight states and three
pilot cities.
The programme builds on past and current
investments of USAID India like Expanded Urban
Health Programme (EUHP) and Financial Institutions
Reform and Expansion – Debt (FIRE-D) project and
draws technical strength from three ongoing USAID-
funded flagship health sector programmes – Vistaar
Project, The Maternal and Child Health Sustainable
Technical Assistance and Research (MCH-STAR) and
Maternal and Child Health Integrated Programme
(MCHIP).
The Goal
To improve the health status of the urban poor
by adopting effective, efficient and sustainable
strategic intervention approaches, adopting the
principle of convergence of various development
programmes.
Objectives
• Provide quality technical assistance to the
Government of India, states and cities for effective
implementation of the Urban Health component
of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)
and the proposed National Urban Health Mission
(NUHM)
• Expand Partnerships in Urban Health, including
engaging the commercial sector in Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) activities
• Promote the convergence of different Government
of India urban health and development efforts
• Strengthen urban planning initiatives by the state
through evidence-based city-level demonstration
and learning efforts.
Strategies
• Provide Quality Technical Assistance to the
national, state and city governments and
administrations
• Convergence of different Government of India
urban health and development efforts
• Expand public-private partnerships for
improvement of the health of the urban poor
• Behaviour Change Communication.
• Demonstrate city-level models for replication
The project aims to improve the governance
skills of city governments, i.e. local self-governance
institutions and other line departments as well as
those of local civil society organizations. By providing
technical assistance and capacity-building inputs, the
HUP project is in the process of developing three City
Demonstration and Learning models, introducing
management support methods to ensure effective
and efficient management and delivery of health
systems. Examples of such methods include evidence-
based planning, supportive supervision, process and
outcome monitoring and community engagement
in planning, monitoring and management of the
resources. It also envisages active private sector
participation.
The HUP project will try to address the health
needs of the urban poor by helping the Government
of India formulate the National Urban Health
Mission. Given the evidence that the quality of the
lives of the urban poor cannot be improved unless
the conditions of health determinants (like water,
sanitation, nutrition, hygiene, etc.) are improved, the
project lays emphasis on institutional convergence
of the different programmes implemented by various
departments like Urban Development, Health and
Family Welfare, Women and Child Development,
Water and Sanitation, etc.
The HUP project is an example of collaboration
and partnerships among organizations with varied
competencies and strengths.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com, Website: www.popfound.org
|
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3 Pages 21-30 |
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3.1 Page 21 |
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Scaling up Promising
Practices and Innovations
India faces mammoth challenges in
achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
In the sphere of maternal and child health
(MCH) the challenge pertains to reducing its
infant mortality rate (IMR) from 53 (SRS 2009)
to less than 30 and its maternal mortality ratio
(MMR) from 254 (SRS 2004–06) to less than
100 by 2015. To address this challenge, the
government has increased efforts at reviving
the public health sector. It has increased health
sector financing, launched initiatives like the
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and
promoted implementation of innovative pilots
at the state and district levels. Numerous civil
society organizations too have increased efforts
at developing and implementing innovative
Reproductive and Child Health pilots, some of
them demonstrating impressive success.
Yet, the decline in IMR and MMR has been
far from satisfactory. Although some pilots have
demonstrated the kind of success required for
Scaling up is a process of taking successful
innovations and pilots to scale, through
expansion,replicationorcollaborationwith
otherorganizationsand/orthegovernment,
suchthatitreachesandbenefitsmorepeople
and/or improves the quality of services.
meeting MDG targets, their overall impact has
been limited and confined to their original
intervention areas. The failure to go to scale has
often been one of degree, i.e., things have been
scaled up to one extent or another, but not to
their full potential.
The primary reason behind this apparent
gap has been the assumption that scaling
up is a spontaneous process, where actual
implementation at large scale is taken for
granted. Instead a more pro-active approach to
scaling up is required, which includes processes
such as evidence building, assessment of the
PFI aims to ensure that small-scale, local-level
promisingpilotprojectsnolongerremainlocal
and small-scale, but are either taken up on a
larger scale or lessons learned from them are
translated into larger policy and practice.
AdvocacyforSEARCH’sHomeBasedNewborn
andChildCare(HBNCC)Modelresultedinits
incorporationintheEleventhFiveYearPlan
documentoftheGovernmentofIndiaandits
inclusion in the NRHM State annual Project
ImplementationPlans(PIP)ofanumberofstates.
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The successful PPP model of PHC
ManagementinitiatedbyKarunaTrustin
Karnataka,iscurrentlybeingscaledupin
eight states across the country.
learning experience, contributing to both scaling-up
literature and practice.
Strategies
I. Organizational capacity building
environmental and technical challenges for scaling
up, engagement of multiple stakeholders, creating
capacity for large-scale implementation and effective
advocacy at various levels.
Scaling Up: PFI as a Centre of Excellence
Recognizing that India cannot afford to lose
out on the potential of innovative and promising
models, PFI has initiated efforts towards working
with civil society organizations and the government
to successfully scale up models with demonstrated
evidence of impact.
PFI, with technical support from Management
Systems International (MSI), USA and financial
support from the MacArthur Foundation, has been
working on scaling up since 2006. It has been using
MSI’s “Scaling Up Management Framework” as a
tool to help facilitate the scaling up process. Adopting
this framework and following its three-task-ten-step
process, PFI has provided technical support to a
diverse range of promising practices or pilot projects
in the field of reproductive and child health (RCH)
and young people’s reproductive and sexual health
(YPRSH).
• Identification and building up a pool of master
trainers in scaling up management
• Ongoing knowledge and skill enhancement
and trainings (on documentation, institutional
development etc.).
II. Integrating ‘scaling up’ in proposal
development and grant making of all
projects
• Incorporating capacity building and programme
development as an integral part of projects
• Strengthening monitoring & evaluation
mechanisms
• Building advocacy and partnership development
into programmes.
III. Supporting organizations in scaling up
promising practices or successful pilots
projects
• Conducting theme based scans and identifying
scalable models through scalability assessments
• Visioning and strategic planning for scaling up
• Supporting institutional strengthening, capacity
building and advocacy for scaling up
These efforts have met with some success, • Developing mechanisms for monitoring
some partial success, and even some failures. Each
implementation at scale and evaluation of scaled
outcome has, however, resulted in an enriching
up programmes.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
|
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3.3 Page 23 |
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Gender Equity
One of the manifestations of gender
discrimination in India is the rising sex ratio.
The 2001 census revealed that the proportion
of girls aged 0–6 years dropped from 945:1000
to 927:1000 over the past decade. This trend is
increasing even in states and districts where there
was little prior evidence of gender discrimination
and no previous history or practice of female
foeticide.
The reasons for this discrimination seem
to cut across regions, economic classes and
castes and are due to a complex mix of social,
economic and cultural factors. Sons are believed
to be means of economic and social security
in their role as money earners, lineage bearers
and old-age support for parents. Daughters on
the other hand signify an economic and social
burden, with practices like dowry and her sexual
vulnerability making her a liability.
While changing culture, education and
improved reproductive healthcare and family
planning measures have improved the status
of women in the country, it has also resulted
in new means of discrimination. Reproductive
health techniques such as amniocentesis and
ultrasound, introduced in the 1980s, are currently
PFI produced two docudramas – Simta
KanyaKaAstitva(thedecliningidentityof
the girl child) and Nanhi Si Jaan Ki Pehli
Pehchan(onbirthregistration).Theywere
screenedonDoordarshanandhavebeen
translated into five regional languages.
being used by couples to determine both the size
and gender composition of their families.
Transforming the perception of girls from
liabilities to assets and increasing their social
and economic worth is required.
PFI and Gender:
From Advocacy to Action
While PFI’s work has always focused on
women, empowering them to exercise their
reproductive rights, it was in 2001 with the
startling revelation of the declining 0–6-year sex
ratio that PFI took up the issue of female foeticide
as its priority advocacy area. It initiated a state-
level advocacy campaign with the support of Plan
International in 2003 focusing on states where
the 0–6 sex ratio was low. Launched in Rajasthan
PFI initiated a National Campaign against
sexselectionandpre-birtheliminationof
females in 2003-2005, reaching out to
Members of the Legislative Assemblies,
media, the organized corporate sector,
NGOsandgovernmentfunctionariesin11
states.
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3.4 Page 24 |
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and Orissa, the campaign covered eleven states by
2005. The campaign highlighted the positive value of
the girl child and interlinked the issue of sex-selective
abortion with human rights.
Following up on the demand generated by the
advocacy campaign in 2004 PFI moved beyond
advocacy to action at the district and sub-district
levels. Action interventions focused on pre-birth
elimination of girls by generating awareness on the
issue and on the problems that society as a whole
would face due to “missing girls”. PFI introduced an
element of gender sensitization and monitoring in all
its reproductive and childcare efforts.
Strategies
The key focus of PFI’s efforts is to promote the
value of a girl child.Towards this end, PFI has adopted
a holistic approach wherein it focuses on advocacy
initiatives at the state level and on community
engagement and awareness at the district and sub-
district levels.
Efforts at the state level involve engagement of
key stakeholders with the objective of sensitizing
them on the issue, advocating collective action
and monitoring implementation of supportive laws
and policies. The stakeholders include Members
of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), state health
departments, the corporate sector, media, NGOs,
medical professionals and school/college teachers
and students.
Recognizing the challenges in implementing
supportive gender laws, PFI facilitates Interstate
Consultation Meetings promoting an exchange
of learning as well as the development of joint
strategies to address issues such as cross-border and
inter-district practice of sex-selective abortions.
ConcertedeffortsweremadebyPFIand
itspartnersatthestatelevel,inadvocating
against the two child norm, given its
repercussionsonincreasingimbalancein
thechildsexratio.Theseeffortsresulted
in the two child norm being repealed
fromthePanchayatElectionsinHaryana,
HimachalPradeshandMadhyaPradesh.
To strengthen engagement for advocacy, PFI
also undertakes documentation aimed at improving
knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural,
economic and political processes, institutions and
agencies, which systematically shape gender relations
and influence the adverse female sex ratio.
In addition, PFI undertakes intensive information,
education, communication (IEC) campaigns at both
the state and district levels to strengthen its advocacy
efforts and to bring about change in people’s
perceptions and actions vis-à-vis the girl child.
At the district and community levels, PFI’s
focus is on community engagement through the
formation of community groups, identification of
community leaders and capacity building of these
groups and leaders. Efforts are also made to engage
key stakeholders at the community level, including
district and Block level officials, PRI members, AWWs,
ANMs, Mahila Mandals and Midwives.
Intensive use of IEC is made at the community
level, with a gamut of activities being undertaken
comprising screening of films, road shows, street
theatre, display of IEC material, creative writing and
poster-making competitions.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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3.5 Page 25 |
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Policy Advocacy & Communication
for Behaviour Change
Evidence-based advocacy and behaviour
change communication (BCC) has been a central
feature of PFI.
In its early years, PFI focused on advocating
provision of family planning services, and by the
1980s this focus shifted, with advocacy directed
towards promoting family planning within an
integrated healthcare framework. Key findings
from studies on the status of family planning in
India, the relationship between infant mortality
and fertility rate, and learning from action research
projects supported by PFI were used to advocate
improved services and more effective policies.
During these years PFI included
communication to promote family planning and
reproductive and child health (RCH) as one of its
key advocacy approaches and started working
on developing effective electronic and print
material on these issues.
By the 1990s, learning from the International
Conference on Population and Development
(ICPD) and from experiences in the field,
PFI’s advocacy efforts faced the challenge of
The JRD Tata Memorial Oration
involvinginfluentialpolicymakersisheld
periodicallybyPFI.Someoftheeminent
speakers have been:
• Mr Ramakrishna Hegde
• Mr Chandra Shekhar
• Dr (Mrs) Najma Heptulla
• Shri I K Gujral
• Dr Nafis Sadik
• Dr Manmohan Singh
• Shri Somnath Chatterjee
• Dr Nitin Desai
overcoming the existing preoccupation with
controlling population numbers to looking at
population from the perspective of reproductive
and sexual health and rights of the people.
Increased emphasis began to be laid on
networking, consensus building and directly
engaging with parliamentarians and the
government, in addition to the existing focus on
action research and BCC.
PFIgivestheJRDTataAwardsforthe
best states and best districts with
outstandingperformanceinpopulation
andreproductivehealthprogrammes
and outcomes.
From Advocacy to Action, a series of
state-leveladvocacyworkshopsonfemale
foeticideledtoanumberofNGOstaking
up the issue. With PFI’s support, they
formedvillage-levelsupportgroupsto
prevent female foeticide.
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3.6 Page 26 |
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Based on formative research, PFI
developed a communication strategy
fortheeightEmpoweredActionGroup
states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan,
Orissa,UttarPradeshandUttarakhand)
Currently, PFI is one of the leading advocacy
and communication organizations in the health
sector.
Advocacy Strategies
At the national and state levels, PFI’s
advocacy initiatives focus on meeting information
needs of different groups of people, addressing
information gaps to facilitate informed decision-
making at the policy and programmatic level and
building consensus among different stakeholders
to create pressure for required change.
Supported by the David and Lucile Packard
Foundation, PFI has been working extensively in
Bihar and Jharkhand on advocacy for building
a policy and programme environment for
comprehensive RCH services, including family
planning. Key strategies implemented include:
• Advocacy with elected representatives
through orientation programmes aimed to
sensitize them on their role in improving the
health status of their area.
• Advocacy with Bureaucrats through
sensitization programmes organized at
the administrative training institutes for
probationers and in-service officers.
• Advocacy with the judiciary focussing on
gender discrimination, population policy and
reproductive rights.
• Advocacy with media, sensitizing them on the
issues and a gender sensitive and rights based
approach through a series of workshops at
the district, state and national levels.
• Alliance building and enhancing capacities
of state level civil society organizations to
advocate for reproductive health issues in
the state.
• Advocating with the state governments for
a Youth Policy based on local needs and
developed with the involvement of youth.
A booklet was published by PFI
aimed at sensitizing the elected
representatives on their role in
populationstabilizationandsustainable
development.
A series of Advocacy Papers on
population issues have also been
brought out as a publication and
disseminated widely.
Anadvocacyeffortaimedatcreatinga
supportiveenvironmentforpolicyand
programmestoreducematernalmortality
was implemented in four districts of
Orissa in collaboration with UNFPA
and the Orissa State Health and Family
Welfare Society. An advocacy kit was
developed and disseminated through
a series of consultations at the block,
district and state levels.
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3.7 Page 27 |
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• Reaching out to Parliamentarians through
workshops, tracking of discussions/questions
raised in the Parliament and preparing
relevant issue briefs for a comprehensive
orientation on reproductive health.
Demonstrating success in its advocacy
initiatives, PFI has developed expertise in:
PFI has provided technical support to
states in taking forward community
monitoringunderNRHMasSecretariatof
theAdvisoryGrouponCommunityAction
(AGCA).
• Undertaking primary and secondary research
and compilation and analysis of information,
essential for evidence-based advocacy.
• Disseminating research findings and relevant
population- and health-related data through
organizing seminars, lecture series, national-
and state-level conferences, raising relevant
issues and concerns and proposing solutions
• Building capacities and sensitizing multiple
stakeholders, including administrators,
politicians, corporate leaders and civil society
organizations on issues related to population,
health and development.
ensuring the effective incorporation and
implementation of accepted suggestions and
recommendations.
At the district level and sub-district levels,
PFI supports governments and civil society
organizations to translate advocacy initiatives
into action through capacity building and hand-
holding support. It also focuses on using BCC
for advocating the adoption of appropriate
reproductive and child health care behaviours
among the community and service providers.
Communication Strategies
• Sensitization of Parliamentarians through
orientation workshops and tracking
of questions in Parliament, creating
opportunities for legislative advocacy.
• Media Sensitization through focused efforts
to engage the media in events at the
national, state and district levels, as
well as organizing media orientation
workshops.
• Building networks, alliances, and coalitions
to promote advocacy around key issues.
At the national and state levels, PFI provides
technical support to the government and other
civil society organizations on BCC and also
develops and produces information, education,
communication (IEC) and BCC material to
generate awareness on issues of family planning,
reproductive and child health (RCH), adolescent
health and HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, it ensures that
communication forms an integral component of
all programmes and projects supported by it.
PFI’s expertise includes:
• Providing technical support to governments • Development of communication strategies,
to build on successful advocacy initiatives, advising and facilitating the effective use of
PFI helped develop the Chhattisgarh
HealthandPopulationPolicy.Itsupported
theGovernmentsofBiharandJharkhand
in developing their youth policies and
outlining their implementation plans.
IntensiveadvocacywasundertakenbyPFI
in two districts of Bihar with a focus on
improvingqualityofcareinreproductive
health.Anadvocacyhandbook‘Ensuring
QualityofCareinReproductiveHealth’has
also been published.
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3.8 Page 28 |
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different forms of media by the government
and civil society organizations.
• Material production for TV and radio, using
these media to reach out to the masses with
messages on RCH and related social messages.
• Development and Implementation of
Community Radio Programmes. PFI was
one the first organizations to implement
community radio programme in many states
(Karnataka, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan).
• Capacity building for implementation of BCC
programmes and skill building for interpersonal
communication and counselling.
PFI has launched a new programme, Babli
Boli,onreproductivehealthandHIV/AIDS.
• Expertise in tools such as SMART CHART,
used for building capacities on strategy
development.
• Communication for Community Engagement
and Community Monitoring, empowering
the community through knowledge
and capacity building and leadership
building; increasing their participation and
involvement in community health concerns,
thus strengthening accountability of health
systems.
PFIhascompleted40yearsofitsexistence aimedatactivatingKalyaniclubsand
in2010.Thefollowingeventsandactivities increasingreachforreproductivehealth
will commemorate 40 years of caring messagesamongruralcommunities.
commitment:
• Productionoffilmstargetedatvarious
• Three Regional Conferences on
audiencesegmentstopromotegender
Population, Health and Social
sensitiveandrightsbasedapproachfor
Development,culminatinginaNational reproductive health issues.
Conferencetodrawoutissuesand • DocumentationofPFI’seffortsover
concernsatstate,regionalandnational fourdecadesinprintandaudio-visual.
levels.
• Reachingouttoinschooladolescents
• Activitiesamongruralyouthsuchas through the Kendriya Vidyalaya
posterandslogancompetitionson Sangathan schools and events.
identifiedthemesrelatedtopopulation • Promotionofrelevantmessageson
stabilization in 12 states.
population issues through other user-
• A collaborative effort with the
friendly materials such a calendars,
Doordarshan Kalyani programme organizersandothermementoes.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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Monitoring, Evaluation and
Operations Research
Results Based Management (RBM), a
strategic management approach, emerged in
the1960s. It underwent many evolutions till in
the 1990s it developed into an approach that
focused on outcome-based monitoring. Until
then most programmes focused largely on
inputs and processes or activities to monitor
progress. By focusing on outcomes, the
approach ensured improved effectiveness and
efficiency of the programme, as it assessed
performance on the basis of the impact the
programme had produced. If impact was not
visible, it meant that either inputs or processes
were deficient in some way and reformative
action was required.
Recognizing the relevance of RBM in
strengthening implementation and management
of social sector programmes, PFI developed its
capacities in this area. Research and Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) is one of its core strengths.
PFI has been supporting research initiatives in
the field of population and reproductive and child
health (RCH) with the objective of strengthening
programmes and advocacy efforts in these areas.
Over the years, PFI’s research capacities and
scope have widened to address emerging needs,
changing perspectives and new methodologies.
In the 1990s PFI set up an independent M&E and
Research Division and expanded its research focus
to include three interdependent thematic areas
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3.10 Page 30 |
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RBM facilitates the setting of clear goals,
developmentofindicatorstomonitorthem
and assessment of progress in meeting
them.Thispromotesthedevelopmentof
strongandcoherentmonitoring,evaluation
and research systems.
– Population, Health and Social Development,
with Gender as a cross-cutting theme.
Currently, PFI is at the forefront of research
and M&E initiatives in the health sector, playing
both an exclusive and complementary role.
PFI plays an active role in PFI-funded projects,
providing technical support to NGO partners
and project teams from project formulation
and planning stage to implementation to
the final and critical stage of evaluation and
dissemination of findings. It also undertakes and
supports independent research initiatives.
PFI is recognized by international organizations,
governmental, academic and research institutions
and experts working in the population and health
sector as a credible organization which maintains
accurate and updated data for use in programme
planning and policy formulation.
To provide these quality services, PFI
carries out the following activities:
• Maintaining and updating a data bank on
information related to population, health
and development.
• Responding to external and in-house queries
on large-scale data base surveys like SRS,
Census, RCH, NFHS and NSSO.
• Providing technical back-up, especially
verification, tabulation and statistical
presentation in preparing specific advocacy
materials.
• Preparation of Population Clock based on
population projections.
PFI’s technical expertise in M&E includes:
• Developing Management Information
Systems (MIS) to assess accomplishments
as against targets, to measure progress and
stimulate ideas for improvement with the
help of data, to identify issues that need
attention and thereby suggest corrective
steps/solutions.
• Facilitating baseline survey, mid-term
evaluation and end-line evaluation/
impact assessment using a combination
of quantitative and qualitative research
PFI’s research initiatives have:
• Strengthenedadvocacyinitiatives,
exertinggreaterinfluenceandimpact
on policy planning and programme
implementation by identifying and
highlighting issues and concerns
and suggesting solutions based on
operationsresearch,actionresearchand
formative research studies.
• Contributedtonationalandglobal
literature on the themes of Population,
Health and Development.
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4 Pages 31-40 |
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4.1 Page 31 |
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techniques. Technical support is provided in
the following key areas:
Sampling design
Preparation of research instruments
Data processing and analysis
Finalization of reports
Conducting Operation Research Studies
(OR)
Some of the OR studies undertaken are:
• Adolescent Initiatives in Uttarakhand.
• Knowledge based Intervention for
Reproductive Health Advocacy and Action in
Mewat district, Haryana.
• Mobilizing the Un-reached: Using Behaviour
Change Communication and Ensuring Quality
Family Planning Services through Boat Clinics
in Assam.
• Process documentation, with specific focus
on documentation of promising practices and
lessons learnt, such that it facilitates possible
replication and scaling up in other settings as
well. Some of the projects for which process
documentation has been facilitated are:
Reducing Reproductive Morbidity among
Married Women in Rural Maharashtra,
Total Management of Essential RCH
and Primary Health Care through
Public-Private Partnership: A Model
and Innovative Project in Karnataka,
Home Based New Born Care in Gadhchiroli
district of Maharashtra,
• Preparation of research briefs
for dissemination of results to key
stakeholders through a consultative
process.
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4.2 Page 32 |
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Some Recent Notable PFI Studies
• ConcurrentEvaluationofMukhya
• AStudyofDemographicTransitionin Mantri Janani Sishu Swasthya
AndhraPradesh:Determinantsand Abhiyan (MJSSA—JSY) in
Consequences (2007).
Jharkhand—ACollaborativeStudy
• TheFuturePopulationofIndia:A with IndiaClen (2009).
Long-rangeDemographicView(2007). • AStudyonPotentialforImpact–
• ChartBookonHIV/AIDSinIndia AnalysisoftheAccesstoCareand
(2007).
Treatment (2009).
• Facts, Figures and Response to • A Study on Quality of Care in
HIV/AIDS in Bihar (2007).
Community Care Centres (2009).
• Facts, Figures and Response to • WomenEmpowermentandFemale
HIV/AIDSinUttarPradesh(2007). HeadedHouseholdsinIndia—AStudy
• InfantandChildMortalityinIndia: BasedonSecondaryDataAnalysis
District Level Estimates (2008). (2010).
• Evaluation of the Reach and • InfantandChildMortalityinIndia:
EffectivenessofBCCCampaignunder StateLevelEstimatesbyReligion,
NationalRuralHealthMission(NRHM) Caste,EducationandOccupation
(2009).
(2010).
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org
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4.3 Page 33 |
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PFI
Knowledge Management Centre
The Knowledge Management Centre (KMC)
has been a part of PFI since its inception.
KMC is a rich resource of media in the field of
demography, health, and gender issues. It was
computerized from the late 1990s. Digitization
is underway.
KMC’s collection of over 7700 books,
surveys, reports, journals and other literature
covers themes of Population, Population Policy,
Women and Development, Family Planning,
Contraceptives, Reproductive and Child Health,
Maternal Health, Adolescence, HIV/AIDS, Female
Foeticide, Panchayati Raj, Demography and Health.
Bound journals such as Reproductive Health Mat-
ters, Demography, Studies in Family Planning,
Population & Development Review, Economic &
Political Weekly, Population Studies, Seminar, and
Asia Pacific Journal are also available.
KMC keeps an archive of important annually
published development and health surveys and
reports. These include:
• Annual Reports of various national and
international organizations.
• Human Development reports.
• Economic Surveys.
• Census of India reports.
• SRS publications.
• UN reports.
• NFHS-I, II, III, RCH-I, II, DLHS Reports.
Services provided by PFI KMC
• Reference Services
• Open Access System
• SelectiveDisseminationofInformation
(SDI)andCurrentAwarenessServices
(CAS)
• Inter-Library Loans
• Reprographic Services
• Press Clippings Services
• Telephonic Information
• Internet, and email Service
KMC is open to the public during PFI’s working hours.
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4.4 Page 34 |
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Audio-visual materials
A huge collection of audio-video CDs/cassettes
and tapes on the following topics are available:
Population, Family Welfare, Female Foeticide,
HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and Adolescents,
Community Monitoring, and Panchayats.
Publications
Over the years, PFI has brought out a large
number of publications, ranging from training
manuals for NGOs, district and state profiles,
research, documentation of promising practices
and models, to documentation of corporate
engagement in the health sector.
PFI’s quarterly newsletter PopFocus
highlights PFI’s key events and
achievements, to keep key stakeholders
updated on learning, events and happenings
in PFI. Back publications are available from the
year 1987.
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016
Tel.:+91-11-43894100, Fax: +91-11-43894199
E-mail: popfound@sify.com
Website: www.popfound.org