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(Making Things Happen)
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Private sector projects in a DAP district
have the added advantage of the presence of a Project
Management Unit (PMU) - a problem solving agency and the
link between public and private sectors. PMUs are the
field representatives of SIFPSA in each district, established
to provide administrative support for the implementation
of District Action Plans. Monthly meetings with Project
Co-ordinators of NGO projects are organized by the PMU
to share successful experiences and address problems.
The CMO or Deputy CMO of the district attends these meetings
to address co-ordination issues with government health
institutions. The meetings also provide an opportunity
for district officers to request the help of NGOs for
activities like RCH camps & TT campaign. This results
in a synchronized working between the two where efforts
of demand generation and providing services complement
each other. Evidence of this improved relationship is
visible in evaluation reports of NGO projects in Varanasi
district. |
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Linkages Established
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Four NGO projects in Varanasi district,
ending in March 2000, were evaluated by an independent
agency - Indian Institute of Health Management Research,
Jaipur, in February 2000. The NGOs, Social Welfare Institute
and Dr. Shambhu Nath Singh Research Foundation implemented
projects in 210 villages of Pindra block and Human Welfare
Association and Shushrusha Samiti worked in 132 villages
of Chiraigaon block. Evaluation reports of all four NGOs
showed some remarkable strengths especially the linkage
with government health institutions. High risk pregnancies
in these project areas were identified and referred to
PHCs/hospitals in time. The number of family planning
cases referred for IUD and sterilization were also very
high. |
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Notable Achievements
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Other achievements of the projects also
point towards effective implementation monitoring and
co-ordination with the Public Sector: |
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All four NGOs have
a strong presence in the field with awareness about
the project ranging from 70% to 94% |
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The field workers
were successful in generating awareness about contraceptives
with 89% to 98% women having knowledge of at least
one modern contraceptive method |
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There was an average
increase of 20 percentage points in the contraceptive
prevalence rate (CPR) in these areas, with the CPR
increasing from 25 % to 45 % at the end of the Project.
Around 50 % of this increase is attributed to the
efforts of the NGO, and the rest to other factors,
mainly referral service of the Public Sector
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Innovations |
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The Naun (barber's wife) and Chudiwali
(bangle seller), who had easy access and regular contacts
with young married women were identified as potential
salespersons for contraceptive brands, after appropriate
training. In one project, the staff kept track of marriages
in the area and gifted Rs.101/- along with IEC material
on family planning, some condoms and oral pills to the
newly wed. Another project also included other development
activities like tree plantation and establishment of cutting
and stitching centres to enhance community involvement.
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The positive impact of these projects
has resulted in extension projects being sanctioned to
all four NGOs. The project strategy in each has been modified
based on lessons learned and feedback from the evaluation. |
