Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH)

Mapping and research have been at the centre of FALAH's communication advocacy and mobilisation strategy. The Population Council and 6 partners prepared and approved a compliance monitoring plan after receiving training by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) consultants. A baseline survey was completed in 16 districts for comparison at the end of the project, and all public and private health care facilities were mapped in 18 districts. Methodology and messages were developed for mobilisation of married women of reproductive age and their husbands and health providers. For example, a poster was finalised and translated into Urdu (translation in Sindhi to be completed) that details the Tiahrt Requirements for Voluntary Family Planning Projects. (Editor's note: In October 1998, the US Congress enacted an amendment initiated by Representative Todd Tiahrt (a Republican from the state of Kansas) reaffirming and elaborating standards for voluntary FP service delivery projects to protect the rights of FP "acceptors," that is, the individual clients receiving services. Click here to learn more).

Interpersonal interactions are at the centre of this effort to educate and motivate Pakistan's people around FP and birth spacing issues. FALAH collaborator Greenstar Social Marketing (GSM) has held neighbourhood meetings to provide FP orientation, mobilised community outreach by conducting meeting with male and female "influencers", and dispatched its outreach workers to carry out household visits to reach women. In addition, women of reproductive age are provided with free FP consultations at 1,178 mobile clinics (Clinic Sahoolat) conducted by GSM.

Capacity-building efforts have involved training of staff in compliance monitoring, healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy, and contraceptive updates. FAHAL also developed a preservice curriculum for medical and paramedic students, which was approved in principle by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, and basic and advanced training manuals for client-centred FP services. Skill development training was developed for the intrauterine device (IUD), trainings of trainers (ToTs) for client-centred FP services have been held, and leadership trainings have been conducted.

FALAH has also conducted advocacy work on emergency contraception (EC). This has involved officials from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Population Welfare visiting Bangladesh to observe their programme of EC distribution through community workers. FALAH organised a national consultation seminar for consensus-building around EC, prepared EC training manuals, and held a consultative meeting with provincial coordinators to finalise their training materials. The technical committee of innovations has approved FALAH's proposed provision of EC through lady health workers in 8 districts.

Family Planning.