SIFPSA participated in Grameeno
Ke Beech, a one-day fair, organized at village level,
New Delhi. The fairs have a range of participants,
mostly with commercial interests. Special offers
on consumer products, games with prizes to win and
adequate pre-publicity, act as a crowd-puller for
these fairs.
For SIFPSA the fairs offered a
unique opportunity to reach out to a captive audience
with messages on reproductive health and provide
immunization services, all in a cost-effective manner.
A project for participation in fairs to be organized
in 442 villages in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh
was hence commissioned to RC&M.
A team of professionals trained
for the activity, organize and manage these fairs.
The team travels from village to village as per
a pre-determined schedule carrying the wherewithal
for stall construction and other activities within
the fairs.
A special team is assigned the
work of pre-publicity for the fairs. The team visits
three villages including the event village, a day
in advance, in painted vans equipped with a sound
system.
Publicity
And Services Combined
SIFPSA has been participating
in these fairs with a large stall, brightly displayed
with the reproductive health campaign logo of Tota
Maina advocating people to talk about family planning.
A series of illustrated panels convey messages on
all aspects of reproductive health. A wheel of fortune
game is an added attraction within the stall. The
viewers read through or are helped in reading the
messages written on the wheel while playing the
game.
Immunization services are provided
in the stall to women and children by the ANM of
the area. The ANM also counsels the visitors on
family planning and distributes condoms and oral
pills.
Additionally, there are common
games like 'Matka Phod' (breaking a pot blindfolded),
lucky dip and wheel of fortune. Products or branded
gifts are given as prizes in these games.
Attractions in the fair also include
four magic shows during the day where-in messages
are intermingled with entertainment. There are special
activities for the female visitors under the 'Mahila
Mandal'. Embroidery competitions, briefing on health
issues and quiz competitions on reproductive health
are held in the Mahila Mandal.
After the day-long fair, a Hindi
blockbuster movie is shown on a large 180" screen.
Spots of all sponsors are shown in between the film.
Chal Haat Haat
Based on the success of these,
120 exclusive health fairs “Chetna” with increased
services and messages were piloted in Gonda &
Shahjahanpur districts during January – March, 2003.
During January – February, 2004, SIFPSA again participated
in a syndicated activity of cost-sharing fairs “Chal
Chal Haat” along with other 5 corporate groups.
Through these fairs, a total number of 110 villages
and haats were covered in nine districts.
