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(A Vision Beyond Business)
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Jagdishpur, a dusty town located in
Sultanpur district boasts of an industrial area with 58
working units including 3 large factory townships. Ambitious
youth from surrounding villages flock to this area in
search of work and greener pastures. In this setting stands
the fertilizer unit of the Indo Gulf Corporation, which
has been involved by SIFPSA in carrying information and
services related to reproductive & child health to the
neighbouring community. |
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As one of its many innovative approaches,SIFPSA
collaborates with corporate bodies for running health
and family welfare programmes in industrial areas. These
prog- rammes offer the potential to : |
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Reach out to the worker
population who can be motivated easily and can further
act as motivators themselves |
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Get industries with
sound infrastructure to either add family planning
services or expand existing health facilities to
surrounding rural areas |
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In the corporate world, where the pursuit
of profit often pushes social responsibility to the back
seat, the Indo Gulf Corporation, an Aditya Birla group
company, follows a unique business philosophy. It has
set up the Indo Gulf Jan Seva Trust dedicated to development
activities one and a half years before the establishment
of the fertilizer unit. A Vocational Training Centre (VTC)
was set up to provide technical skills for self-employment
to unemployed youth in trades suited to local conditions.
Healthcare and family planning activities have also been
taken up by the Trust since 1987. |
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Indo Gulf Jan Seva Trust was hence identified
as a partner organization by SIFPSA. This led to the commencement
of the Indo Gulf Health & Family Welfare Programme (IGHFWP)
in Jamo block of Sultanpur district covering a population
of 72,838 including factory workers in 58 units of the
Jagdishpur Industrial area. |
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Workers As Motivators |
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Industrial workers in Jagdishpur come
from neighbouring rural areas. Special strategies were
developed for this under-served group. Each unit selected
its worker motivator. The motivators stocked and distributed
contraceptives within their group. They helped organize
audio-visual shows and group discussions for awareness
generation during lunch breaks. The cable network within
townships was also used to display messages on family
welfare. |
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The shift timings for workers in each
of the 58 units were observed and a plan worked out to
set up stalls for distribution/sale of contraceptives
at factory gates, once every week in each unit to cover
all shifts of the unit. The project currently has 45 motivator
workers in the factories. |
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Establishing Community Support
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In order to gain confidence of the community,
the project started with the establishment of 6 clinics
providing free services for general ailments related to
mother and child health. Then gradually family planning
services were introduced. |
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Health camps were held periodically
involving the PHC doctors and staff with whom the project
staff had developed a good rapport. CBD workers were selected
in consultation with the ANMs to ensure that they worked
as aides and not rivals. Quality services were also ensured
through the Indo Gulf Jan Seva Trust Hospital, originally
established for the staff of Indo Gulf, but later thrown
open to the community as well. |
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Innovative Strategies |
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The project has adopted a strategy
to ensure complete immunization of children and pregnant
women especially in areas where services are not available
regularly. |
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The project has adopted a strategy to
ensure complete immunization of children and pregnant
women especially in areas where services are not available
regularly.The project team identifies remote villages
in the area and organizes immunization camps once a month
for three consecutive months in the same village to ensure
that all children and pregnant women are immunized. Cultural
programmes are organized during these camps for awareness
generation on health and family planning. |
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Contraceptive social marketing was introduced
in the project through the Indo Gulf fertilizer stockists
in the villages, apart from CBD workers. The stockists
displayed the CSM brands, which created curiosity leading
to awareness about the brands. Now people are themselves
demanding CSM brands, says a satisfied Mr. S.M. Rasik,
the ex-Project Director whose personal interest and initiative
ensured proper implementation of the project.
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