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The Family Planning Association of India reaches over 7.6 million people
The Family Planning Association
of India (FPAI) was established in 1949 to disseminate information on population policies, and to educate people on reproductive health, family planning and sexuality. One of the founding members of the International
Planned Parenthood Federation, it is represented on all key policy-making bodies of the government. The FPAI works in
16 of India's 90 most backward districts, reaching over 7.6 million people. It conducts a number of reproductive health programmes,
emphasising community participation, youth concerns and women's empowerment. The FPAI's initiatives
depend on Information, Education and Communication on a variety of reproductive health-related issues such as birth spacing, number of
children, and STDs/AIDS prevention education. Sex-education programmes and courses target the young as well as underprivileged groups. Classes are
also run to train teachers and educators in non-formal systems. Nearly 190 static and mobile facilities throughout the country provide services for spacing methods, surgical family planning, safe abortion, and mother and child care. Modern and traditional medical practitioners, and trained volunteers, distribute condoms and pills in villages. The FPAI's 1995 Parivar Pragati Pariyojana (Small family by Choice
Project) received the 1996 Commonwealth Award for Excellence for its innovative approach in addressing women's reproductive health.
Introduced in Bhopal, Vidisha and Sagar districts of Madhya Pradesh, the project aimed at initiating a demand for family planning integrating reproductive health with development interventions. Around 2,800!
villages have formed FPAI-supported mandals or community organisations under 29 integrated projects, to implement development and family planning activities. When condom usage rates reach 60 per cent, FPAI withdraws from the projects. To date FPAI has withdrawn from eight
such project locations. At such places the existing community mandals continue to extend support. Besides family planning counselling, the
mandal-run programmes run balwadis (child-care centres), adult literacy classes, welfare services, income-generation training,
resource mobilisation and activities to improve the status of girls and women. Through its recently formed National Network of NGOs, the FPAI provides aid to over 2,000 rural and urban NGOs working towards sustainable development and a better quality of life for all. Technical and financial assistance is also currently provided to 19
small NGOs to undertake family planning projects. Contact: Family Planning Association of
India
Bajaj Bhavan, Nariman Point
Bombay 400 021
Maharashtra, India
Tel: 91-22-202 9080/202
5174
Email:
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Website: www.fpaindia.com
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